Street Race Fever: PROJECT D
by Mayharukadalejrfan88
Summary: May joins Ryousuke Takahashi's new team, PROJECT D, to dominate and conquer all the mountain passes in Kanto.
1. Act 01: GC8 vs Corvette

It had been a while since May had raced. She decided to take some classes at a technical school in Shibukawa and put off racing until the spring. Meanwhile, Ryousuke was considering on forming a new team so that it could be the fastest in Kanto.

DATE: APRIL 21, 2000

TIME: 10:00 AM

At Yuichi's gas station, Drew was tuning his GC8 to produce more horsepower.

He was working in the garage and was installing a new intercooler. Akito came by and said to Drew "What are you doing?"

Drew said to Akito "I am working on my car. Since my car is turbocharged, the intercooler is one of the most important things for the engine. If I want to be in the same league as May and Ash, it's crucial to increase power."

Akito then said to Drew "That's true. You need the intercooler in your turbo engine to work perfectly if you want to be fast."

Max came over and said "You're working on your GC8? That sounds great. Well keep on working on your car."

Drew said "Thank you, Max. I will work hard."

Meanwhile in the Chiba Prefecture, a guy by the name of Brendan Birch was racing his blue Corvette on Mount Tomisan. He was racing a Honda Integra. He was leading by over 3 seconds but the Integra was closing in quickly but the finish line was coming up. Brendan won the race and his friend, Kirsten Tanaka, congratulated him on winning.

Brendan then said "Thanks. I'm glad you are a fan of my racing. The Corvette's one heck of a car and its LS1 engine is what makes it so awesome."

Kirsten then said "You know, we could take a break from racing the locals. I heard there are some good racers in the Gunma Prefecture. Especially this girl with a brand new Nissan Skyline GT-R. This is no ordinary R34 because it has rear wheel drive instead of 4 wheel drive. She defeated Ryousuke Takahashi about 2 months ago. She is excellent and amazing to watch."

Brendan then said "That sounds like a real worthy opponent but I rather race Drew Nakazato because he seems to be a good racer despite racing a GC8. That's the new Subaru Impreza WRX STi for you information. I would like to race him on Mount Haruna because I heard he's living in Haruna now. Besides, it would be fun to race on another course."

The next day in Haruna, Max was filling up a car when Brendan came in his blue Corvette.

He said to Max "Hey man, do you know a person by the name of Drew Nakazato? I heard he lives in Haruna."

Max then said "Wait a minute, he's inside. I will go get him."

Max then went inside to get Drew. He said to him "Drew, some guy in a Corvette wants to talk with you."

Drew then said "Okay, I'm coming" He then wondered "A Corvette, huh? I never knew there were racers in Kanto that drove Corvettes."

Drew said "How may I help you, today?

Brendan said "Do you drive a GC8?"

Drew said "Yes I do. What brings to Haruna?"

Brendan then said "First, fill up my Corvette with 25 liters of high octane. Then I want make an offer to you. I want to race you tomorrow night at Mount Haruna."

Drew then said "WHAT? You want to race me? Sure I will race you tomorrow night. I think it's cool you drive a Corvette. I would love to race you."

Brendan said "Sure thing. Is tomorrow night at 10:00 PM fine with you?"

Drew said "That's fine with me. See you then."

Brendan then left for Chiba. Max then ran over to him.

Max said "What was that about, Drew?"

Drew said "This guy in that Corvette you just saw is racing me tomorrow night at Mount Haruna."

Max then said "REALLY? That sounds awesome! When is it going to be?"

Drew said "10:00 PM at Mount Haruna."

Max said "You are probably going to have you hands full. The Corvette's a fast car. The design is the new C5 Corvette. You won't have an easy race."

Drew said "I think you're right. I need to talk to Ash about this. He knows more about Corvettes than I do. He might be able to tell me about it."

Max said "I think that's a good idea."

After he was done with work, Drew went home. When he got there, he wanted to talk with Ash. He said "Ash, are you home?"

Ash said "Yeah, I'm here. What do you want to talk about, Drew?"

Drew said "I am racing this 1998 Corvette tomorrow night on Mount Haruna. I want to know more about the Corvette. You once drove a Corvette so you must know something about them."

Ash said "All right, then. The Corvette you are racing is powered by a 5.7 litre V8. It produces 350 HP. What makes it impressive is that it can produce that much power at a relatively low RPM. It's also pretty lightweight. It weighs 3,172 pounds or 1,440 kilos. I heard you tuned your GC8 the other day. How much power does it have now?"

Drew then said "I ran in on the dyno and it said it makes 335 horsepower at 4500 RPM."

Ash then said "That's good. It should be a close race. You will have the weight advantage despite the face you have 4WD."

In Saitama, Dawn said "Zoey, I heard a Corvette is racing Drew on Mount Haruna. We should go check it out."

Zoey took a sip of her canned coffee and said "Yeah, but I don't want to go to Gunma. You and Kyoko can go."

Dawn said "Why, Zoey? It should be fun."

Zoey then said "When I lost to that R34, I knew I was no match for anyone in Gunma. Losing to that R34 on my home turf sucked, but she was the better driver that night. I lost focus and wasn't able to keep the lead or pull away."

Dawn then said "Yeah, I hear that. She impressed me that she was able to do so well at a course she had not even raced at before. Not only that, she did it on Shomaru Pass. I never knew racers like that R34 existed."

Paul then said "So, another guy drives an American sports car, huh? I thought I was the only one in Kanto who had the guts to drive an American sports car."

Zoey then said "I thought so, too, Paul. The guy is Brendan Birch. He's from Chiba prefecture."

That night in Akagi, Ryousuke and Keisuke were watching people race.

Keisuke said "Big brother, have you formed the All Gunma Team yet?

Ryousuke said "I have picked the candidates. Now it's up to them to join the team."

Keisuke then said "Who are some of the candidates?"

Ryousuke then said "May Chan is on the top of my list. I doubt she will turn this down. Next up is her friend, Ash. He will be good as a driver and a mechanic. Don't worry, Keisuke. You too are near the top of my list."

Keisuke said "I knew May would definitely be a candidate. I'm not surprised she is on the top of your list. Give it a week or so and think it over. There sure are a lot of good candidates. By the way I heard that a Corvette is racing Drew Nakazato and his GC8 at Mount Haruna tomorrow night. We should go check it out."

Ryousuke said "That sounds good. Where is this Corvette from?"

Keisuke then said "He's from Chiba. I heard he's pretty good."

Ryousuke then said "I think I know who you're talking about. His name is Brendan Birch. He races on Mount Tomisan. He and his girlfriend Kirsten Tanaka at the fastest in Chiba. She drives a Honda Prelude Si."

Keisuke then said "Do you think Drew can win? He's going up against the American sports car."

Ryousuke said "He will win. The GC8 has the weight advantage. Despite the fact it has 4WD, it's lightweight and more tuned for pass racing whether it's uphill or downhill."

The next day, May woke up early. She was watching Dallas in the living room. Drew then came downstairs.

He said "What's up with you, May? How are you this morning?"

May said "I am fine, Drew. Listen, Ash had to leave early for work. He might not be home until 9:00 PM tonight. I heard you're racing a Corvette from Chiba tonight. Is that true?"

Drew then said "That's right. I'm racing him at Mount Haruna tonight at 10:00 PM. Are you coming?"

May said "Of course I am. I have to work at the police station from noon to 5:00 PM today so I'm on the afternoon shift."

Drew said "That's good. What are you watching on TV right now?"

May said "Oh, I'm watching Dallas. This episode is when Jock goes on trial for murder."

Drew said "Seriously? You are watching Dallas? That cracks me up."

May said "It was a damn good show in America. You want to know something; my parents were married the day before J.R. was shot. Their first night together and husband and wife will be something they will never forget."

Drew then left to work at Yuichi's gas station.

That afternoon, Drew was filling up a customer's van when Yuichi came out. He said "You are racing a Corvette at Mount Haruna tonight, right?"

Drew said "That's right, boss. It's tonight at 10:00 PM. It will be a downhill race."

Yuichi then said "I see. Well, good luck. I know you will win."

Drew said "I will beat him, not matter what."

That night at Mount Haruna, Drew was getting ready to race Brendan. May, Ash, Akito, Kenji and Max were all there.

Kenji said "Do you feel nervous, Drew?"

Drew said "Yeah, I'm a little nervous. I've never had a race like this before, but I'm ready."

Ash said "You can do it, Drew. I have faith in you."

Then Ryousuke and Keisuke came in their RX-7s. They zoomed along the course.

Max said "There goes the Takahashi brothers. I'm not surprised they're here. They always find action Gunma not matter who's racing."

May said "That's right, bro. They love street racing and they will find any racing no matter where it is."

Ryousuke and Keisuke pulled into the parking lot. Ryousuke said "This should be an interesting race. I think the GC8 has the advantage. His 4WD makes it more agile in the tight corners. Birch has a good car but he's got one big disadvantage that may cost him the race.

Keisuke said "What's that? What's the Corvette's disadvantage?"

Ryousuke then said "I am going to talk to someone who knows a lot about Corvettes." Ryousuke then pointed to Ash. He then said "He's right over there. He knows a lot about Corvettes. He once raced one."

Ryousuke then walked to Ash to talk to him.

Ryousuke said "Morikawa, can you tell me the disadvantage in that Corvette your friend Drew is race?"

Ash said "Ryousuke! Yeah I can tell you about its weak point. Over-steer is a common problem with FR car, but the Corvette has a terrible over-steering problem."

Ryousuke said "Is that so? I'm willing to hear more."

Ash said "The car might be lightweight but it's really heavy in the front. That's what makes the over-steer much worse in the Corvette than most FR cars. The reason why I overcame that in my race with Kyle Sudou last year at Irohazaka was because me and my dad worked on it and got rid of unwanted dead weight."

Ryousuke said "I see. Tell me why the GC8 will win tonight."

Ash then said "Drew's GC8 is perfect for pass racing like here in Haruna. It may be 4WD but it's lightweight and it's very agile. It has a misfiring system like the Lan-Evos that tried to take over Gunma a couple weeks ago, but its flat-4 engine lowers the center of gravity. It has a great turbo system."

Ryousuke then said "How much power does it have."

Ash said "He tested it on the dyno the other day and he told me it produces 335 horsepower. Someone told me the Corvette has 350 HP."

Then Brendan and Kirsten arrived in their cars.

When the parked, Brendan and Kirsten got out of their cars to look at everyone. Max, Akito, Kenji, May, and Ash all looked at the two with a huge stare.

Brendan said "Looks like Haruna has a big pack of racers. The Takahashi brothers are here as well."

Kirsten said "How do you feel about tonight's race, Brendan?"

Brendan then said "I feel great about tonight. I have never felt this good before."

Kirsten said "You have not been this excited in a long time. More so than when you had that S14"

Brendan then said "I loved that S14. Too bad the engine gave up on me. However this Corvette's the bomb."

Brendan and Drew then got in their cars. Then, Hiroshi told Ryousuke "Hold off on the start. I just saw two cars from Saitama. I was able to pull them over. They're going to see the race at the midpoint. I will tell you when we're ready."

Ryousuke said "We're going to have to wait 10 minutes. A couple cars are on the course. We can't race until they're off the course." He then asked Hiroshi "What kind of cars were they driving?"

Hiroshi said "They were both girls. One was driving an FC3S like Keisuke's but it's grey. The other car was a red Levin AE86."

Keisuke was shocked. He then said "A grey FD? Could that be Kyoko?"

At the midpoint, Kyoko and Dawn got out of their cars. Kyoko said "This seems like a great place to watch the race. Who are rooting for, little sister?"

Dawn said "I am rooting for Drew because I was once in love with him. He seems like a nice guy. He drives a black GC8."

At the top, Hiroshi told Ryousuke to go ahead. Ryousuke then asked "Who will do the countdown?"

May said "I will do it."

Then Drew and Brendan revved up their cars.

May then shouted "RACERS READY! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Drew and Brendan drove off. Brendan took the early lead but Drew was right on his rear bumper.

Drew then said "Both me and that Corvette had perfect starts. However, he was able to put the power down better than I did. I will not let him get away."

Brendan then said "The GC8 had a great start like me. However, he won't be part of my rearview mirror for long."

At the top, Ash said "There's another problem with that Corvette. It's the tires. Those Goodyear tires are not made for mountain pass racing. If this was the Shuto Expressway, those tires would be perfect."

May then said to Ash "Why will the tires play a big role in this race?"

Ash said "Drew has very good Pirelli tires on his GC8. They can take more abuse that the Corvette's Goodyear tires."

While racing, Brendan said "This car is the bomb. It can beat any domestic FR car. Hell, it can beat a highly advanced Subaru Impreza WRX STi."

Drew then said "He's got a good car. He has a little more power than me but I have a better power-to-weight ratio that the Corvette. I feel like I can pass him, but it's too soon. I will attack at the five hairpins."

The two then raced by the next couple of corners. Drew was able to stay to the rear of Brendan's Corvette.

Brendan said "So far, he has been keeping up with me. Maybe I was wrong about him. Racers with 4WD cars are usually highly skilled technical racers. He must have at least 325 horsepower in that thing. I might not be able to pull away from him."

Drew then said "The five hairpins are coming up. I will make my move there."

At the midpoint, Kyoko said to Dawn "When they went by here, they were tooth and nail."

Dawn then said "Yeah. Drew is able to keep up because of the turbo and misfiring system in his car. The Corvette has to keep him at bay but it will put a tremendous load on the tires, especially the front tires."

Kyoko then said "You're right. The bulk of the weight in that Corvette's in the front. He's going to wear out the front tires before the rear tires wear out causing him to over-steer badly."

At the first hairpin, Drew tried to pass on the outside but Brendan blocked him.

Drew said "DARN! He blocked me at the first hairpin. I don't know if I can pass at the second hairpin, but I know I can try to pass him in the 3rd hairpin. That's where May and Ash won their races."

At the second hairpin, Drew drifted to stay with Brendan.

Brendan said "He nailed that drift. I always thought it's tough to drift in a 4WD car but he makes it look so easy. But now, I feel like the car is not performing like it should. What's wrong with it?"

Drew said "All right, this is my chance to pass him. I will use the gutter like May and Ash use."

Drew used the gutter on the inside to pass Brendan. He was able to pass him with no problem.

Brendan then said "WHAT WAS THAT NOISE? WHERE IS HE?"

Brendan thought Drew had crashed but he didn't realize he was on the inside.

Brendan then said "He passed me on the inside! I'm going to lose. The next 2 hairpins are really tough to pass in."

Drew then crossed the finish line. Hiroshi then said "The GC8 won. He made his move in the third hairpin."

Ash, Akito, Max, Kenji, and May all went "HE WON! DREW WON!"

Kirsten then said "That GC8 was too much for Brendan. I guess we will accept defeat."

Keisuke then said "What about the team you're putting together? How's that coming along?"

Ryousuke said "I have made my decision. I have figured out who I want besides you. May and that R34 of hers will definitely join. I also think Ash should join because he will be great mechanic.

The next morning at Yuichi's gas station, Drew was working on a car when Max came over to talk with him.

Max said "Great job, Drew. You won last night."

Max said "Thanks, Max. I knew it would be tough but I pulled it out. I learned that gutter technique I used from May and Ash."

Meanwhile, at May and Ash's house, they were both watching a video of Keiichi Tsuchiya drifting.

May said "No one can drift like Keiichi Tsuchiya." & Ash said "You're right about that. There's a reason why he's called the "Drift King". He can control the car like no one else out there."

Then, Ryousuke and Keisuke knocked on the door. May said "I will get the door."

She then opened the door and said "Hello, Ryousuke and Keisuke. What brings you here?"

Ryousuke said "Cam we come in? I would like to talk to you and Ash about something."

May said "Of course you can. He's in the living room watching some video."

May then took Ryousuke and Keisuke to the living room.

Ash said to Ryousuke "Why are you two here?"

Ryousuke said "I am making you and May an offer you will like. You two will be part of my new team called "Project D". May is going to be our downhill specialist. You will be our lead mechanic. How does that sound to you?"

Ash said "That's great. I will join. What about you, May?"

May said "Of course I will join. Count me in as your downhill specialist."

Ryousuke then said "That's great. I knew you would like it."

Keisuke said "You better get ready because our first race is this coming Wednesday. However, we are leaving Tuesday to go to Happogahara. It's in Tochigi. We are racing a team of Hondas there."

May said "Sure. I might have to quit the police force but I don't care. I have done my part in protecting Haruna. Time for me to move on. See you soon."

Ryousuke and Keisuke then left for Akagi.


	2. Act 02: PROJECT D is Born

APRIL 23, 2000

Ryousuke and Keisuke had just left May and Ash's house. They came to tell May and Ash that they would be joining Ryousuke's new team titled "PROJECT D". Their mission was to beat the best in Kanto.

May said to Ash "I think it's great we're part of Ryousuke Takahashi's new team. He must have seen something in me that made him think I was worthy of being on the team. What do you think?"

Ash said "I knew he would come to his senses. He knew that when you beat him, you proved yourself worthy."

May then said "I am also glad that my police schedule has been freed up a bit. I will work when I want to."

Ash said "That's good."

May said "Listen, I'm going to Yuichi's gas station to fill up the R34. Then I'm leaving for Akagi to talk with Keisuke. I would really like to talk to him about this."

Ash said "Cool. I will see you later."

May then left for Yuichi's gas station. While driving, she said "I know I can do great. This new engine along with Ryousuke Takahashi's confidence in me will make me the fastest downhill racer in all of Kanto."

At Yuichi's gas station, Drew and Max were helping a young lady with her. They filled it up with regular unleaded. When they were done with her, she left. Then May arrived. Drew and Max were surprised to see her.

Yuichi then came out and saw May pull in. He said "May?" & Max said "This is unusual to see you out so early, sis. What brings you here?"

May said "Hello. Listen; fill my R34 up with high octane. I'm heading off for Akagi."

Yuichi said "Why are you heading to Akagi? That seems weird to me."

Max then said "Did you hear? May joined "PROJECT D". That's Ryousuke Takahashi's new semi-pro team he put together."

Yuichi then said "You're right! I forgot about that. Well, congratulations May. Good luck. I know you will do well."

May then said "Thanks, Yuichi! That means a lot to me. Ash is also part of the team but he's the lead mechanic. I'm glad because no one knows more about engines than Ash. That's probably why Ryousuke chose him as lead mechanic."

Max then said "That's right. He knows everything about engines. Well, anyway, I know you're going to do well." Max filled up her sister's car. When he was done, May took off for Akagi.

She arrived at the Takahashi house at around noon. Keisuke was alone in the house because Ryousuke had to run some errands. May then knocked on the door.

Keisuke said "I wonder who's at the door? I will go see."

He opened the door and said "MAY! What a total surprise. I didn't expect you coming to Akagi. Come on in. What brings you here?"

May said "Hello, Keisuke. I felt like talking to you. I feel like you and me will take Kanto by storm and dominate the region. With my excellent downhill technique and your superior uphill racing skills, we will leave everyone in the dust."

Keisuke then said "I know what you mean. We will being facing tough opponents, but I know we will do great. My brother has total confidence in both of us."

May then said "Well, that's good to hear."

Keisuke asked "Do you want something to drink?"

May said "Sure. Do you have any Coca-Cola? I'm thirsty."

Keisuke said "Oh, I'm sorry, May. We don't have any. My brother went to pick some up at the store. Would you like anything else to drink?"

May said "I will have a glass of ice water."

Keisuke said "Sure. I will do it right now."

Keisuke got May some ice water. When she drank it, she said "That hits the spot! I want to go outside and talk about my R34 if that's okay with you."

Keisuke then said "Certainly. I would love to tell you all the modifications I have made to my FD. I'm also interested in what modifications you have made to your R34."

May and Keisuke went outside to check out each other's cars.

Keisuke said "Looks like your R34 hasn't changed much. I would like to know what's under the hood."

May said "You're a funny guy, Keisuke. Even though it looks like it's the same outside, it has a new hood. It weighs 15 pounds lighter than my old hood. It's made by an American tuning company called Seibon that makes parts for GT-Rs."

Keisuke said "I see. It looks like the inside has changed a bit."

May said "Yes it has. I have a new Sparco racing seat that weighs 10 pounds lighter than the original seat. It was installed when Ash installed the new engine, which I am about to show you."

Keisuke said "Neat. I'm interested in the new engine."

May opened the hood and showed Keisuke the engine.

Keisuke said "That's no ordinary RB26DETT in there. That's the N1 version of the RB26DETT. It's used in the JGTC for all the R34s in that series. How did you get it?"

May then said "It was a gift from Nismo. They heard about my incredible skills so they gave this to me."

Keisuke then said "That's awesome! It looks like the turbochargers are new and so is the ECU. What kinds of turbochargers are in there?"

May said "They're Garrett GT25 turbochargers. What makes them different from the old engine is that the turbine wheels are made from steel rather than ceramic because ceramic is unreliable at high rotational speeds. When the new engine was installed, Ash bought a new Mine's ECU to with the new engine. The ECU is an important part of any electronic fuel-injected engine."

Keisuke said "I agree with that. Now I want to show you my car." He then started to show May his updated FD.

May said "It looks a lot like the old one except the headlights. I really like them."

Keisuke said "Thanks, May. These are RE Amemiya fixed HID headlights. RE Amemiya makes a lot of aftermarket parts for the FC and FD RX-7s.

May said "Nice. Who will be our first opponents?"

Keisuke said "First we will be racing some amateur teams in Gunma. Then our first big race will be on May 8th against a couple of guys in Tochigi. Their names are Tohru Suetsugu and Atsuro Kawai."

May then asked "What do they race?"

Keisuke said "Tohru drives a Mazda Roadster and Atsuro drives an R34 like yours but his is a Skyline GT Turbo."

May then said "I see."

At around 12:45 PM, Ryousuke showed up. He said "What's up, Keisuke?"

Keisuke said "Not too much. May's here. She wanted to talk to me about "PROJECT D". She is very excited about it."

Ryousuke then said "Nice. I want to go inside."

Ryousuke, Keisuke, and May then went inside the Takahashi house.

When they got into Ryousuke's room, May said "I really like your room, Ryousuke. It looks so nice. I even like your computer.

Ryousuke said "Thanks May. I want to know about your car."

Keisuke said "We were talking about our cars. May didn't have much changed in the R34, while I told her about my new headlights. She really liked it. She said it looks better with the new headlights"

Ryousuke said "That's cool. May, I want to see your new engine."

May then said "Okay, Ryousuke. I will show it to you now." She then opened the hood and showed it to Ryousuke.

Ryousuke said "Nice. This is the RB26DETT N1 engine. I like it a lot. It looks the electronic fuel injection system has been tuned. How did you get it?"

Keisuke said "She got it as a gift from Nismo. They heard about her skills so they gave it to her as a gift."

Ryousuke then said "I see. What kind of ECU is in your car?

May said "It's a Mine's ECU. Ash bought it when installed the engine."

Ryousuke said "That was smart of him. Listen, I want to have him come here later."

May said "Sure. I don't know what time he will get out of work. I will call him right now."

May called Ash on her cell phone. When Ash heard his cell phone rang, he said "Hello? Hi May. How are you?"

May said "I am fine. Listen, Ryousuke wants you to come to Akagi when you get out of work. What time will you be done?"

Ash said "I will be done soon. I have to finish tuning up this S14. Then I will come over. Where do you want me to meet you and the Takahashi brothers?"

May said "Meet us at the Takahashi house. You shouldn't have any trouble finding it. Look for the white FC and the Yellow FD."

Ash said "Okay, then. See you soon."

May then hung up and said "He's coming over soon. I would say he will be here at around 1:30 PM."

Ryousuke said "That's fine with me."

May then said "Who else is part of "PROJECT D" besides me and Ash?"

Ryousuke said "There will be Hiroshi who will be setting up the races. Plus, he will be scouting out the courses and Kenta who will be one of our van drivers plus our relief downhill racer if you can't come. I already told you Ash will be our lead mechanic but he will also be your personal mechanic for your R34. Both Hiroshi and Kenta will be driving our vans also. Hiroshi will drive van #1 and Kenta will drive van #2."

Then Ash arrived. He got out of his Supra and knocked on the door.

Ryousuke said "Who's at the door?" & May said "I think Ash is here. I will go get it."

May opened the door and saw Ash. May said "Hello, Ash. How are you doing?"

Ash said "I am doing great. Why did Ryousuke tell me to come over here?"

May said "I think he wants to talk to about PROJECT D."

Ash then went to talk with Ryousuke.

Ryousuke said "Hello, Ash. I want to tell you something. You are going to be May's personal mechanic. You will be responsible for taking care of May's car as well as Keisuke's FD. I chose you because you know everything there is about cars."

Ash said "That sounds great. Of I know everything about cars."

Keisuke then said "It sounds like Ash will be very helpful."

Ryousuke agreed with him and then said "How about the 4 of us go out for dinner? I would like to talk some more."

May said "Sure. I know about this sushi bar in Haruna that Ash likes to go."

Ryousuke said "Well, there is a sushi restaurant in Akagi that both me and Keisuke like to go to. We'll go there. Hiroshi and Kenta will also meet us there. We will have dinner at 5:00 PM. In the meantime, May, you can do whatever you want. You could go to Mount Akagi and check it for yourself. You can even stay here if you want to."

May said "I will take a drive on Mount Akagi. I want to know how it feels like. However, I am a little nervous because it's my first time on Akagi. I was wondering if Keisuke could come with me."

Keisuke said "Sure, May. You and I will go to Mount Akagi and I will teach you about it. Because you are now part of PROJECT D, you can use Akagi as much as you want whenever you want."

Ryousuke said "That's cool. Me and Ash will stay here and watch some television."

May and Keisuke then went off to Mount Akagi. They arrived 5 minutes later.

May said "This is much more different than Haruna. I wonder how it drives."

Keisuke said "Well, this course drives differently for everyone so I can't tell you how it drives. It's pretty easy at first but then gets trickier. I want you to follow me so you get a hang for it. By following me, you can learn a lot about the pass in a short time."

May then said "Okay then. Sounds good to me." She and Keisuke then got in their cars.

Keisuke said "We won't go too fast. Since it's the afternoon, I don't want to risk crashing into another car."

May said "I hear that. Besides, I didn't come here to race. I just wanted to check it out."

Keisuke then started his FD and May followed her in her R34. She was behind him so she could get a feel for the course.

While driving May said "I knew it felt different than Haruna. I didn't think it would be this much different. It's a totally different course than Haruna."

When they reached the bottom of the hill, Keisuke asked May how it was.

May said "It was pretty neat. It felt a lot different than Haruna."

Keisuke then said "I see. Listen now I will show you why I was chosen to be the uphill specialist."

Keisuke and May then drove uphill. Keisuke was driving very fast. May said "WHOA! He is good on the uphill. There's no way I can catch up with him. Thank goodness this isn't a race. It would be over by now."

When she got to the top, May got out of the R34. Keisuke said "Well you made it in one piece. Were you impressed?"

May said "Yeah, I was. You were so good I couldn't even keep up with you."

Keisuke said "That's why I was chosen to be the uphill specialist. I trained on the uphill. That's where I learned my skills."

May said "Listen, have you ever liked a girl? I only ask because a guy as good looking as you would be popular with the girls."

Keisuke then said "I never thought of myself as a ladies' man. My brother is the guy the ladies want because he is cuter."

May said "I see"

Keisuke said "When you got the looks, the ladies want to hang out with you. I'm good looking but not as much as my brother."

May and Keisuke then went back to the Takahashi house. Ryousuke would take Keisuke, May, and Ash to dinner in his FC.

At the restaurant, the owner said "Ryousuke, it's been too long. How have you been?"

Ryousuke said "I have been fine. I just started PROJECT D today. I have the team formed. We'll be racing some teams here in Gunma before our first big race on May 8th at Nichien-Momiji in Tochigi Prefecture."

The owner said "I see. Well I have your table already for you. I see you have 3 other people with you. Is anyone else coming?"

Ryousuke said "We have two more coming. They should be here very soon."

The owner seated, Keisuke, Ryousuke, May, and Ash. Then Hiroshi and Kenta came in. They sat with Ryousuke and the others.

All of them talked about PROJECT D. They left around 6:30PM. When they left, May said "THAT WAS DELICIOUS! How did you like it, Ash?"

Ash said "I loved it. That was good."

Ryousuke took everyone back except for Hiroshi and Kenta. When they returned to the Takahashi residence, May said "Listen, Ryousuke. Me and Ash are heading back to Haruna. See you soon."

She and Ash then left to head back to Haruna.


	3. Act 03: R34 vs NA8C, The Battle Begins

MAY 6, 2000

In Tochigi Prefecture, a guy was trying to upload the PROJECT D web page on his computer. His name was Tohru Suetsugu and his teammate Atsuro Kawai was looking along with Tohru's girlfriend, Nao.

When he uploaded the web page, Tohru said "This is it! PROJECT D! I can't believe they won again.

Atsuro said "That's a course record!" & Tohru said "It's amazing! They keep winning races in enemy territory!"

Nao said "What's PROJECT D?"

Atsuro said "You know Ryousuke Takahashi, right?"

Nao said "OH! That super cute-looking guy!"

Atsuro then said "It's a special team he made to go outside their prefecture."

Tohru said "They scout out a bunch of challengers on the internet and then post the results online. They even write the names of all the challengers and streets!"

Later that night, at a tea house on the Momiji pass, Atsuro, Nao, and a guy named Shinichi met up. Then Tohru arrived in his Mazda Roaster. Atsuro walked over to Tohru's car. Tohru shut off his Roadster and got out of it.

Tohru said to Atsuro "Will they really come?

Atsuro said "It looks like the real deal, Tohru. Supposedly they showed up at the Asagiri toll road the other day."

Tohru said "This will be fun. I will do the downhill. I will leave the uphill to your R34."

Atsuro said "Yeah, that's what I planned on."

Tohru then said "I don't know the caliber of guys they've got in Gunma Prefecture but if they think they can look down on us, then let's give them a lesson in pain!"

The next day, Tohru met with Nao at a diner. Tohru asked Nao about tires.

Nao said "HUH? Tires again? You just bought some the other day."

Tohru said to Nao "Those were just cheap ones. The grip isn't any good. I've got to have a set I can count on for timed races."

Nao then took a deep breathe

Tohru then said "Come on, Nao. It's like this! When I get my bonus, I will pay you back in a flash."

Nao then said "You spend too much money on your car. You should think about the future a little and save some money! It's been six years since we started going out, but at this rate, we'll never be able to get married!"

Tohru got out of his seat and said "Not this again. I've heard this more times that I can count."

Nao then yelled at Tohru by saying "I keep telling you because you still don't get it, right?" She then took a sip of her drink and said "Fine. If you're going to say it like that, I will lend the money to you."

Tohru got excited and then said "REALLY? THANKS!"

Nao then said "On one condition."

Tohru said "Condition?"

Nao said "If you lose this next race, you have to give up racing!"

Tohru said "WHAT?"

Nao said "I mean it this time. If you don't keep your promise, I will break up with you for real."

Tohru then took a deep sigh. That night, he practiced on the mountain pass to test the new tires. He said in his head "The feeling of new tires is the best! I'm going to win! Nao is important to me, but there's no way I'm going to quit racing!"

A few minutes later at the top of Momiji, Someone screamed "TOHRU! THEY'RE HERE!"

PROJECT D was coming to the top.

Tohru said in his head "So they came, eh? PROJECT D!"

Keisuke and May were leading the PROJECT D convoy.

Atsuro said "They've got and FD and an R34 GT-R."

Then PROJECT pulled into the parking lot.

Tohru said in his head "These guys are awesome! They might be the real deal." This got Tohru worried

Then May and Keisuke got out of their cars. They approached Tohru and Atsuro.

Then Hiroshi and Ash walked over to van #1. Ash said "Hey Ryousuke, get up. We're here. Please get up, Ryousuke. Ryousuke!"

Hiroshi said "Ryousuke has such incredible concentration on anything he does."

Then Keisuke walked over to the van.

Hiroshi then went on to stay "He hasn't opened his eyes once since we left Takasaki."

Keisuke said "He knows what works most efficiently."

Then Ryousuke woke up and said "Sorry Ash, but please get me a bottle of cold water." Ash went to get a bottle of water.

Ryousuke took a big sip of water and said "Let's begin."

Hiroshi walked up to Tohru and Atsuro. He said "Hello. We're PROJECT D and we've come from Gunma.

Atsuro said "We're called Seven Star Leaf. Our team mainly runs this course. You'll be going up against us."

Hiroshi then said "It will be a pleasure. I believe you're already been informed, but do you agree to let us have this course tonight for training, with the actual being tomorrow?"

Atsuro said "Yeah, I heard. That's fine. As far as I can see, you've only got two cars, an FD and an R34 GT-R. Are those the only two you've got?"

Hiroshi said "We're an expeditionary team. We've cut down on the number of cars to eliminate waste. The R34 handles downhill races, while the FD handles uphill races. They are the twin aces of our team. Very well, with your permission we'll now begin." Hiroshi then walked away.

Atsuro said "They're more polite than I expected. It's sort of a letdown how friendly they are, huh? Racing with just two cars is unexpected enough, but what the heck are those three minivans? A support team?"

Ash told Ryousuke "The R34's underbody configuration will end up like this." He handed him a clipboard with the R34 information.

Atsuro then said "These guys aren't your normal team. In a racing team, everyone races, right? But having a support crew tag along for just two cars… They may be a team, but they're more like traveling circuit racers."

Tohru said "I am not going to be fooled by appearances, Atsuro! What can these guys possibly do in a single night? Our team has been active for two years. At even a moderate guess, we've run this a thousand times! Support team or not, it won't make a difference! A race is between two drivers, right? There's no way my 1.6 litre Roadster will lose to a twin-turbo 2.6 litre RB26DETT. It's local pride! You think I'm going to be beaten by some R34 GT-R?"

Meanwhile Ryousuke was talking to Ash. He said "Understood. This is good. Make it so that, as much as possible, May will voice her opinions and be made to think for herself."

Ash said "Okay then."

Ryousuke said "I believe she can't say anything of importance yet, but what's most crucial now is that she be made to think."

Ash then said "Understood."

Then Ryousuke walked over to May. He said "Have you watched the video?"

May said "Yes, about 40 times."

Ryousuke then said "Then you should have the course in your head." May nodded her head and Ryousuke then went on to say "Run the first five times at about 70% speed. There will be a slight difference between the course as envisioned and how it is when actually racing it. Your first job will be to adjust for that discrepancy."

May said "Okay."

Ryousuke then turned to his brother and said "Keisuke, you understand as well, yes? We don't pick up the pace until this stage is completed."

Keisuke said "Yeah, not to worry."

Ryousuke said "Very well. GO!"

May and Keisuke got in their cars to practice. They left the parking lot and took off for their practice runs. Then Tohru got in his car and told Atsuro "I am heading out, too. Once I do up the tires, I'm good to go!" Tohru then took off.

Meanwhile, Atsuro said "It's probably like Tohru said. What can they do in a single night… right? That's how we've got to think. We can ponder all kinds of stuff, but in the end, when racing out on the course, all you can believe in are your own driving skills and your car!"

The next morning at Yuichi's gas station, Drew and Max were working. They said thank you to a customer and filling up his car. Drew decided to wipe down the gas pumps.

Max said "You're in a rather good mood, Drew."

Drew said "That I am, Max! Because it's almost payday!"

Max said "Oh, that's right. It'll be your first paycheck of the month."

Drew then said "Sure enough, it's a different feeling from working part-time! It feels like I've become an adult!"

Max then said "And once you get your pay, what will you spend it on?"

Drew said "I am thinking about installing a high performance intercooler on my GC8."

Max said "Once you put that on."

Drew then said "As it is, my GC8 can already pull ahead of your NSX no problem! I've already got an estimate on a loan! Little by little, I'm getting closer to realizing my dream! It won't be long now before Haruna's GC8 becomes known in rumor as the car of a legendary racer!"

Max then said "Listen to you!"

Drew said "I want to be like May, tearing up the mountain pass in style!"

Max said "Speaking of, I wonder what my little sister is doing right now."

May had just woken up at a hotel that she was staying at for her race. She was eating breakfast because the hotel rate included the continental breakfast buffet the hotel offered. She said in her head "There's no doubt in my mind. I WILL WIN TONIGHT!"

That afternoon, May and Hiroshi were walking along the pass. Hiroshi said to May "Scary. There are no covers on the sides!"

May said "I heard about this from Ryousuke, but this is the first time I've seen one so deep."

Hiroshi then said "The roads in Gunma Prefecture generally have concrete covers. We ran it at night yesterday, so it didn't stand out, but if we fell into that thing at full speed, make no mistake, our undersides would be toast."

May said "Actually, Ryousuke said something about this yesterday. That how we tackle this ditch would decide whether we win or lose."

Hiroshi then said "Even saying something like that, maybe he meant to say make sure you don't fall in. Anyway, a lot of the time, we don't get what Ryousuke is thinking right up till the very end. However, in the end, it always turns out the way Ryousuke said. You can believe him."

Meanwhile, Tohru was talking to Shinichi about his Roadster. Tohru said "I bored out the 1600cc B6 up to 1800cc. I also installed high-comp pistons, raising the compression ratio, a lowered flywheel weight to increase response, and finished off with four throttle body sports injection. Too awesome."

Shinichi said "Combined with your driving technique, this is the ultimate downhill B6, I'd say."

Tohru then said "With this, there's no way I could lose! For Sure!"

That night, the teams were getting ready for the races. Shinichi said "It's about to start! My heart's pounding. How awesome is PROJECT D going to be?"

A guy named Yujiro said "In any case, Seven Star Leaf is going to take the downhill. There's no way that Tohru Suetsugu will lose to some out-of-towner!"

Shinichi said "He's going up against a girl in an R34, right? That FD is a powerful machine but an R34 despite its power is so clunky!"

Meanwhile, Hiroshi and Ryousuke gathered up May and Keisuke. Hiroshi said "At their request, we'll be doing the downhill first. Rather than a simultaneous start, one driver will go first with the other following. They'll go in front on the first race. I think you realize that if we lose the first race, it's over."

Ash was working on May's R34 then came out and said "It's good! You can start at any time."

Meanwhile, Tohru looked under the hood of his Roadster. Then Atsuro told him "It may be an R34 GT-R, but don't let your guard down, Tohru. That's definitely not an ordinary R34 GT-R."

Tohru said "I don't care what kind of car my opponent has! Right now, I'm going to do the best racing that I can!"

Shinichi said "TOHRU!"

Tohru then said "Shinichi, hold your hand out." Tohru took Shinichi's hand and then said "You get it, right? I'm shaking! It's scary! The truth is, it's so scary that I've got the jitters and just want to run away from here! But at the same time, I'm happy. I'm so happy I can't take it! Do you know why?"

Shinichi nodded his head no. Then Tohru said "I am grateful to PROJECT D. You can be a racer for a long time and almost never get to race with this kind of incredible tension. To me, today's race is the chance of a lifetime to show my stuff! As a representative of Seven Star Leaf, I will make damn sure I run a good race with no regrets!"

Atsuro said "That's the spirit, Tohru."

Tohru then said "All right then, what do you say we get this thing started?"

Tohru then went to the start line to meet May. He said "My name is Tohru Suetsugu. It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his left hand.

Then May said "I am May Chan." She then shook Tohru's hand. Tohru then felt something when May shook his hand. He said in his head "What is this feeling?" May then walked back to her car and Tohru said in his head "I have never felt this way before! I'm stunned. I'm so shocked I can't stand it! Protect me, Nao!"

A minute later, May and Tohru revved up their engines. Tohru took off and May started to chase him.

Shinichi ran over to the guardrail and said in his head "Tohru! I was so blown away by Tohru's downhill corner entry that I joined this team. He's a do-or-die kamikaze downhill racer! There's not a person out here who can keep up with Tohru's downhill! There's no way he going to lose to some out-of-town GT-R!"

May chased down Tohru's Mazda Roadster.

While driving, Tohru said in his head "Going first was the right choice for me. If your rhythm gets thrown off, the downhill can be deadly!" Then May and Tohru braked for the first corner. Tohru then said in his head "Be relaxed. Rather than winning or losing, what's most important is that you give everything you've got."

At the top, Ryousuke said "Compared to the R34, the Roadster is really compact. Its small size and weight allow for the nimble footwork that is its greatest weapon! And the downhill of its driver Tohru Suetsugu will, as I see it, bet everything on high-speed corner entry. It's an unrefined style. Each and every corner will be taken with an inertia drift."

Meanwhile, May continued to chase Tohru.

Ryousuke then went on to say "It's a driving style in which everything begins when cornering speed has been taken almost as high as it can. It could perhaps even be said that his driving technique was cultivated through the Roadster, a car that lacks power."

Keisuke said "That means him and May."

Ryousuke said "Yes. His is much like the relationship between May and the R34, with just one exception. The crux of this course is the area that appears at the end, a continuous stretch where the side ditches are uncovered. Victory will rest upon the strategy executed in that area."

Hiroshi said "About that, is there really any action you can take aside from just avoiding those booby trap-like ditches?"

Ryousuke then said "There is. I've already informed May. Without advanced load shift techniques, it would be dangerous to attempt, but May and Keisuke can do it. For I have chosen them. They are the twin aces of PROJECT D!"

Tohru and May then passed by a couple spectators. One said "WHOA, SCARY! Tohru's cornering is as dangerous as ever!"

The other spectator said "WHAT? Even so, that R34 is keeping up with him! That won't last long. There isn't a guy out there who doesn't scare at Tohru's cornering!"

The first spectator then said "I wonder how far that girl can keep up with Tohru's crazy downhill."

The other spectator then said "She definitely won't be able to make it to the end!"

While driving, Tohru said "I expected as much. Until now, no one has been able to keep up with me this far. That's no normal R34 GT-R, there's no doubt about that. But more than that, the problem is the girl behind the wheel. She's amazing. Still, I don't feel like he's gaining on me. It's probably taking everything she's got just to keep up." Tohru then picked up his pace a bit and then said in his head "I can win this race! If you try too hard to keep up, whatever happens is on you! If you value your life, then pull out!"

May said in her head "What an incredibly forceful approach! Dangerously so!" The two then zoomed by.

At the top, Ash was listening to a phone. He said "Ryousuke, it looks like she still hasn't closed the gap."

Ryousuke said "I know." Then he said in his head "It's still to come. The fastest downhill racer in Gunma shall bare her fangs!


	4. Act 04: Full Throttle! Downhill Battle

May was continuing her battle against Tohru Suetsugu on Momiji in Tochigi Prefecture for the first big race for PROJECT D. She was trying to keep up with Tohru's Mazda Roadster. May and Tohru were racing hard.

At the top, Atsuro's phone was ringing. Someone was telling him about what was going on. Atsuro said "What? Really? Where are you watching from? The C-21 hairpin?!"

Shinichi said "They're already that far?"

Atsuro then said "What does this mean? They're running tail to nose. They've almost gone halfway and the R34 GT-R is still on Tohru's tail."

Shinichi then said "I can't believe it, Atsuro! There's no way anyone could keep up with Tohru this long!"

Atsuro then said "I don't want to believe it either. For the R34 GT-R to be this fast, I've got a bad feeling. Tohru hates to lose, so he'll dig in his heels and get more and more worked up. This downhill race is going to get dangerous. One of them just might crash!"

Meanwhile, May still continued to chase down Tohru.

Meanwhile Ryousuke said to Hiroshi and Keisuke "In the underpowered FR, he is a downhill specialist. To be sure, he has several points in common with May."

Hiroshi said "They both have an instinctive sense for speed, and have mastered cornering at high speeds."

Meanwhile, Tohru tried his best to pull away from May.

Then Ryousuke said "Perhaps what decisively separates the two will be the degree to which they've refined their technique."

Keisuke said "Meaning the fact that May is coming from behind on the first race…"

Ryousuke said "…will be of great importance in determining victory or defeat."

Hiroshi said "What do you mean, Ryousuke?"

Ryousuke said "May has been observing her opponent's racing from behind and should have begun to understand it on a sensory level."

Meanwhile, May did her best to stay with Tohru. May said in her head "I feel like I've sort of got it now. By looking at him from behind, I see the difference in how he and I race." May then started to close the gap on Tohru.

They were coming up on some spectators. One got excited by seeing them coming. Both Tohru and May drifted at the corner.

One spectator said "Did you see that just now? They're both awesome!"

Another spectator said "They were only like this far away from the wall!"

A guy named Shuichiro said "Those are some crazy racers!"

Tohru then remembered what Nao said to him. She said "You spend too much money on your car. If you're going to say it like that, I will lend the money to you but on one condition. If you lose this next race, you have to give up racing! I mean it this time. If you don't keep up your promise, I will break up with you for real." Tohru said in his head "I AM NOT LOSING!"

Then May closed up on Tohru which shocked him. May then got to Tohru's rear bumper. Tohru said to himself "She's right up on me! WHY? This is me driving here! I'm the best racer there is. What the heck is going on?!"

May continued to follow Tohru's line. Tohru then said in his head "This R34. Just who the hell is driving that thing?"

At the top, Atsuro said to someone on his phone "Tohru can't shake the R34 GT-R?"

Shinichi said "What the heck is going on?! I just don't get it!"

Atsuro then said "Tohru's greatest weapon, learned from a long time of racing, is the unbeatable speed of his corner entry."

Shinichi then said "No one should be able to match that cornering!"

Atsuro said "His opponent knows all the corners here inside and out. It's way beyond having run it just one night. And yet, not only has the R34 GT-R not been shaken off, it's actually keeping up!"

Meanwhile, May continued to keep up with Tohru. May noticed Tohru's corner entry. She said in her head "What incredible corner entry! He knows every inch of this course! But in the time between recovering from corners and entering the next braking zone, my R34 is faster. WhY? It's not a difference in power."

At the top, Ryousuke said "On a mountain road of complex terrain, there are more corners than can even be counted. In particular, in a downhill race, there are far more "partial" areas that are neither straights nor curves than one would expect."

Hiroshi said "To be sure, there are lots of places where you would waver between going in at full-throttle or half-throttle."

Ryousuke then said "The ability to adapt to those sorts of areas will be the difference between the racing of May and her opponent. Remember that, Keisuke. In the theory of high-speed public racing that espouse, this is a most important point." Keisuke agreed with Ryousuke.

May continued to put the pressure on Tohru. Tohru said "CRAP! You think I'm going to lose?!"

Some spectators were on the road and then cleared out when the two came by. As Tohru braked for the next corner, May also set up for the corner.

One guy named Yukihiro said the way May and Tohru raced was dangerous. Another spectator said "I've never seen such awesome corner entry before!"

Yukihiro said "To be able to keep up with Seven Star Leaf's Roadster… Who the heck is in that R34?"

A guy named Atsushi said "She isn't even a local. This is freaking incredible! PROJECT D has got crazy mad talent!"

Meanwhile, May and Tohru were approaching a corner with uncovered ditches.

At the top, Ryousuke said "It won't be long now before they approach the point that will decide this race." Keisuke agreed.

Hiroshi said "Say, Ryousuke, don't leave me hanging. Tell me! What kind of plan is it? The strategy for the uncovered drainage ditches."

Meanwhile, Atsuro was listening to a guy on his phone. Atsuro then said "It looks like Tohru is still being followed. They've already passed C-10."

Shinichi couldn't believe they had made it that far.

Atsuro then went on to say "This girl's a lot better than we'd thought."

Shinichi said "But Atsuro, even if Tohru can't shake her off, that doesn't mean he'll lose! They'll just change position and go into the second race. The real battle's still to come, right? There's no way Tohru could be overtaken!"

Atsuro said "You're right, Shinichi. This whole overtaking thing in unthinkable. The area up ahead is going to be just impossible."

Shinichi said" That's right!"

Atsuro then said in his head "Even if you can't get rid of her, there's nothing to worry about, Tohru. Go into the next race and don't lose!"

Tohru tried to keep May behind him. May still kept up with Tohru.

Meanwhile Ryousuke said to Keisuke and Hiroshi "Very Well. I shall explain. The strategy for the uncovered ditch area that I explained to May. She had already acquired a specialty technique, correct?"

Hiroshi said "You mean putting his tire into the drain? The drain drop thing?"

Ryousuke said "Correct."

Hiroshi then said "So you're going to use that?"

Ryousuke then said "Unthinkable. It would not be applicable with this type of ditch. Even you should recognize that. The strategy is to use the exact opposite of that technique."

Hiroshi said the "The exact opposite…"

Meanwhile Tohru and May were still racing hard. Tohru said in his head "She's an unbelievable driver! I can't shake her! I really want to look at her driving from behind! Her driving… Just what kind of driving is it?! How is she tackling my home course? How's it different from mine? No matter what, I'm going into the second race! I want to see her technique!"

Tohru and May then attacked the next corner.

May observed Tohru's driving from behind. She said in her head "His cut-in timing is a little early!" Then she went on the inside to try to pass Tohru. Then she said in her head "I HAVE SEEN THE LINE!"

Tohru yelled "IDIOT! You're just going to ignore that uncovered ditch?!"

May then passed Tohru.

Tohru then said in his head "She's pulled forward! She's going to go in on the next right, huh? CRAP! I won't let you! Even if I'm just half-way in front, the road is still mine! I won't give you any space! I've got local pride, damn it! I won't let you pass!"

May then saw an opening and passed Tohru. This really shocked Tohru. He said in his head "WHAT? IDIOT! There's not enough room for you to get by! There shouldn't be even any road there! This is bullcrap! Where the hell are you driving?"

At the top, Ryousuke said to Hiroshi "I told you it would require load shift techniques. Cornering at maximum speed places the majority of load on the two outside tires. Accelerating at that point causes increased load shift to the rear."

Hiroshi said "So both outside load borne only by the rear?"

Ryousuke said "Correct. In other words, the driver intentionally creates a strong load shift and reduces as much load as possible from the inner-side front. If you can do that, then at full throttle, you can shortcut directly above the ditch." Hiroshi got a little shocked.

Meanwhile Tohru was trying to keep up with May. He said in his head "She passed me! Am I dreaming? What was that just now? What happened? Try that again at the next right! What the heck just happened? Show me that again so I can see!"

May then drifted at the next hairpin. Tohru watched May and then said "DAMN IT! If an R34 GT-R can do it, so can this!" Tohru tried to copy May's technique. When he did it however, his right front tire went into the uncovered ditch. He then said in his head "I don't feel my right front tire gripping the ground! Is it in the air?" Then his car started to go lower. He said "I am going to fall!"

Tohru's Roadster then had its right side underbody touch the top of the ditch. He said in his head "It's no good! I can't get back up!" His car then started to spin out and then got airborne. This caused his car to flip. May looked in her rear view mirror and was shocked to see what happened. Tohru's car was upside down then it landed on the left side which broke the left side mirror. Then the car landed on the right side tires and all 4 tires touched the road. May then stopped while Tohru moved a little bit after landing.

The spectators couldn't believe what they just saw. One ran over to see if Tohru was okay. May got out of her car and ran over to Tohru. Tohru then got out of his car. May asked Tohru if he was okay. Tohru looked at and May and May said "You're not hurt?" Tohru shook his head no. May then sighed. Tohru again looked at May.

At the top, Atsuro said "A crash at C-7?"

Shinichi said "WAS IT TOHRU?"

Atsuro then said "Any injuries? I see." Atsuro then hung up his phone and walked over to Ryousuke, Keisuke, and Hiroshi. Atsuro said "The Roadster was overtaken by the R34 GT-R and crashed. It can't race. You win."

Shinichi said in disbelief "What's going on? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?"

A few minutes later, May had come back to the top. Keisuke meanwhile was getting ready for his race with Atsuro.

Keisuke said to May "At first glance I thought it was an R34 GT-R like yours. I do like those FR GT turbos. That's a nice hobby right there." Then he said in his head "Take a good look the true power of an ace racer." Then he yelled "MAY!" Keisuke then gave May a stern face.

Atsuro then walked over to Keisuke to introduce himself. He said "I am Atsuro Kawai."

Keisuke said "My name is Keisuke Takahashi."

Atsuro then walked away from Keisuke. He said in his head "He doesn't intimidate his opponent, but at the same time he doesn't seem to be putting on any airs at all. This is our home course and he shouldn't know anything about what I'm capable of, so how can he be so calm?"

Keisuke gave his jacket to Hiroshi while Ryousuke gave him some tips.

Atsuro then said in his head "Just what is this? The unknown feeling of intimidation?"

A minute later, Keisuke and Atsuro lined up for their race.

Tohru walked up to Atsuro. Atsuro said "I am shocked, Tohru. Even before we've started, I feel like I've been made to walk their rhythm."

Tohru told Atsuro "Don't think about it! Just keep your own pace. I couldn't, which is why that happened to me." Atsuro agreed with Tohru. Then Tohru said "Also, let me give you one piece of advice. In the area starting around C-6, where the drainage ditches are uncovered, be sure not to open any room on the inside and stay right on the corner line! If you open up more than a meter, he's sure to go past you. These guys will shortcut right over the ditch."

Atsuro said "What are you talking about, Tohru? That's ridiculous."

Tohru then said "These guys can do it! Believe what I'm telling you! Do not open up any space on the inside!"

Hiroshi then said "Very well, let's begin"

Before he left to clear the road, Tohru said to Atsuro "Don't let him pass you, Atsuro. I'm counting on you!"

Both Atsuro and Keisuke revved up their engines.

Tohru said in his head "Atsuro, these are some incredible racers we're up against. They let me know just how big a gap there is between us. You might not even have a chance of winning, but at least make it through the first race!" Then he looked at the PROJECT D vans. He then said in his head "These PROJECT D guys are incredible! It's like they have an aura!"

Then the race started. Atsuro and Keisuke sped off to the first corner.

The next day in Haruna at Yuichi's gas station, Drew and Max were hanging out. Both took a big yawn. Then Kenji pulled in. Drew went over to see him, thinking he was a customer.

Max said "Hey there, Kenji."

Kenji got out of his car and said "What the hell kind of face is that?"

Drew said "Well, it's not like you're going to get any high-octane or anything."

Kenji said "Hey now! Anyway, I've got some news. PROJECT D has won again."

This excited Drew and Max. Max said "REALLY? Where were they?"

Kenji said "Somewhere in Tochigi."

Drew said "How did May do?"

Kenji then said "She won, of course! She also set a new course record. Looks like they won both the uphill and downhill!"

Max then said "Bit by bit, my little sister is moving up the ranks, huh? As supposed to…" Max then stared at Drew.

Kenji said "Meaning we're no different from ever, eh? Come on, don't say that."

In Tochigi, Tohru met up with Nao at the Gusta Diner.

Nao said "WHAT? You're going to quit racing?"

That was the deal, wasn't it? I lost the race last night."

Nao then put her hand on Tohru's forehead. She then said "What's wrong, Tohru? Did you hit your head in yesterday's wreck? I don't like this. Get a hold of yourself!"

Tohru said "What are you talking about? You're the one who said I had to quit racing if I lost!"

Nao said "I know but I just said it trying to be mean because I was frustrated."

Tohru then said "It's all right. It's actually a relief I lost. Really. Up until now, I thought that as a local, I could never lose to anyone not from the area and that I raced faster than anyone. I had total confidence in myself. But I lost outright to some girl from another prefecture, who had only practiced for one night. Sure it was a shock, but it feels good that when I got beaten, it was done so perfectly."

Nao said "Tohru…."

Then Tohru said "Don't make that face, Nao. I'm not saying I'm never going to drive a car again. Simply toeing the line isn't how a racer does things, right? I'm just going to have a different relation with cars than I have had up until now." Nao agreed with Tohru. Tohru then went on to say "It really was the best night. I've never been that stoked. I think it was great that I got to meet those people. It's like any profession. There are very few who ever make it to the top. Those racers are probably among the select few. But I know now that I'm not. PROJECT D, they really are awesome people.

That night, on Happogahara pass outside of Yaita in Tochigi a guy named Daiki Ninomiya was driving his EK9. When he reached the top, he called one of his friends.

Daiki's friend said "PROJECT D? Oh, that team from Gunma which people are talking about recently. They're coming? Hm."

Daiki said "What are you doing on the weekend, Tomo? There are no races this week, right?"

Daiki's friend said "No races, but I'm busy with tests. Hey, you're not trying to drag me into this, are you?"

Daiki said "Of course not. There's no need to worry. I definitely won't lose. I swear it on the name of the Toudou School!"


	5. Act 05: The Toudou School's Downhill Ace

MAY 13, 2000

TIME: AROUND 9:00 AM

May was at her parents' house. She was talking to her dad, Norman. Norman said "So how did your first race with PROJECT D go?"

May said "It went well. I won my race. I took it easy for most of the race but when I got into a rhythm, I picked up my paced and passed my opponent."

Norman said "Great job, May. I knew you could win. So where are you going to next?"

May said "We're heading back to Tochigi to a pass called Happogahara. The drivers we're racing are from the Toudou Racing School. We're leaving tomorrow. The race will be Friday night."

Norman said "I see. Well good luck. I hope you win."

May then left to go to Yuichi's place. When she got there, Drew and Max were surprised to see her.

Then Yuichi came out and was also surprised to see May.

Max said "This is unusual to see you out so early, sis. What brings you here?"

May said "Well, I had nothing to do before I left today so I sort of ended up here."

Yuichi said "A fine youngster like you having nothing to do before leaving? Now that's a problem!"

Then Kenji arrived. He said "Hey, I've been hearing things, May. PROJECT D sure is incredible! I saw the new expeditionary file. It gave me the shivers, for real!"

Drew then walked up and said "Right now, May and Keisuke Takahashi are representing Gunma!"

Then Max said "You guys are just too talented. No matter where you go, no one can stop you, huh?"

May then said "That's not true. It's not as if winning is easy. It's always a battle right to the end and there's no way of knowing what kind of tough opponent will show up next. I'm really under a lot of pressure."

Kenji then said "Who will your next opponent be? Is it already decided?"

May said "We're racing graduates from something called the Toudou Racing School."

Then Yuichi said in shock "WHAT? THE TOUDOU SCHOOL?"

Max said "Do you know it, boss?"

Yeah. I've heard rumors. It's run by an ex-rally racer turned shop president who started up an advanced driving technique school that attracts young car enthusiasts."

Drew said "An advanced driving technique school? They actually have something like that?"

Yuichi said "Yeah. And with drifting as popular as it is these days, looks like these guys are a bunch of balls-to-the-wall racers whose only concern is mad speed! The two racers May and Keisuke are racing are the school's greatest graduates, who are semi-pro racers."

Drew then said "You're going to race against guys like that, May?"

That night at Happogahara, Daiki Ninomiya and Smiley Sakai were talking to Mr. Toudou. Daiki said "What do you want to talk about, Mr. Toudou?"

Mr. Toudou said "Daiki, they're coming tomorrow. That expeditionary team."

Daiki said "You mean PROJECT D?"

Mr. Toudou said "Yes. About that…" Then they went inside.

Mr. Toudou showed Daiki a car like his but was being used as a demo car.

Daiki said "Mr. Toudou, this car…"

Mr. Toudou then said "It's a demo car we're using. You want to give it a try?"

Daiki then said "Thank you for the opportunity, but I will use my own car. The demo cars of Toudou & Co. are quite astounding, so much so that the race would be over too quickly. I wouldn't feel as if I'd won by my own abilities."

Mr. Toudou then said "YOU IDIOT! Quit talking that crap! ...is what I'd like to say, but I already thought that would be your answer. Do what you want. It's all a game anyway." Mr. Toudou then took a puff of his cigarette and then said "Well, do your best. I will go and watch for myself, if I get to feeling like it."

Smiley then said "What the hell, Daiki? You're going to turn him down? What a waste! If it was me, I would have gladly taken the boss up on his offer." He then touched the car. He said "This car is awesome. It's so awesome, you start giggling once you're inside!"

Daiki then said "I know, but I thought that using your own car was a rule or something. And my EK9 is tricked out to where it's unbeatable on the downhill.

Then Smiley said "Look, don't put too much stock into this, Daiki. I've heard of PROJECT D and compared to the intense training we've gone through at the Toudou School, the level of those racers is disappointingly low."

Daiki then said "I know that, but somehow, doesn't it piss your off? This PROJECT D thing. I don't know about the Internet and homepages and stuff, but this whole thing of showing off what they're doing to a large audience makes it clear that they've gotten far too uppity."

Smiley said to Daiki "I guess."

Then Daiki went on to say "This showoff manner of theirs is inexcusable! I want to show them that there are a lot of fast racers out there!"

Smiley said "Yeah, you're right. Really drive the point home to them with your EK9."

Meanwhile in Akagi, Ryousuke was in his room doing stuff on his computer. Hiroshi was also in the room.

Hiroshi said "Ryousuke, I've been thinking about this for a while, and don't you think the PROJECT D homepage is a little too confrontational?"

Ryousuke said "No, it's fine. It's just fine the way it is. When we arrive at our destinations, we must play the part of the hated villain.

Hiroshi then said "But if that's the case…"

Ryousuke said "Yes. Our opponents will become emotional, agitated. The more so, the better. If it's not an urgent, frenzied race, then it has no meaning. Winning races and setting new records is one of PROJECT D's objectives, but this project has another separate purpose. And therein lies the true meaning behind the initial D!"

Hiroshi then said "Hold on a second. This is all news to me."

Ryousuke then said "Yes, it would be. I have yet to inform anyone of it."

Hiroshi said "That's pretty shifty, Ryousuke. Okay, so tell me. What does the "D" stand for?"

Ryousuke then said "You will know soon enough, Hiroshi."

The next night, PROJECT D were on their way to Happogahara. They got there at around 8:45 PM. When they got there, they looked at some locals.

Hiroshi walked over to PROJECT D and said "It looks like they will clear out all the local cars for us. The course will be reserved just for us."

Keisuke then said "Reserved or not, there will be a route for general cars, right?"

Hiroshi then said "No, this road is still under construction, so it's not open for traffic. It looks like there won't be general cars going through at all."

Keisuke said "So that's why. Even just watching the video, it seemed like an incredible course. There's some serious height differential and winding roads. It's newly paved and the roads have plenty of width, but there are lots of falling rocks, and the road surface can't exactly be called pretty."

Then Ash started working on the cars along with another mechanic named Minoru Tomiguchi. Minoru would be the mechanic for Keisuke. Minoru would work on Keisuke's FD and Ash was working on May's R34.

Kenta then came over to talk with Keisuke. He said "Keisuke!"

Keisuke said "Huh? You're here? What are you doing?"

Kenta said "What do you mean, "You're here?" I came as the driver for the second van." He then looked at Ash working on May's car. Kenta then said "Keisuke! Once the settings are ready, please let me sit in the passenger's seat for one race! I want to see your driving up close, learn from it!"

Keisuke then said "I don't know. I'm not sure it will be possible to do that. This time will be especially intense."

Kenta said "It will?"

Keisuke said "Don't you feel anything at all, Kenta?"

Then Minoru said "All right. Preparations are okay! You can go now, Keisuke."

Keisuke then said "Thank you." Keisuke then drove off to the start point.

Ash said "We're going as well." & May said "All right."

Meanwhile, Keisuke was testing out the course. May was doing the same thing. Ash was with her. He was doing some stuff on the computer. She then drifted into a corner.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi was talking with Ryousuke. He said "They're so confident, it's eerie. Even I can taste how much pressure there is. Just what kind of race are they going to run? Ninomiya and Sakai."

Ryousuke said "Kyle Sudou of Team Emperor is a graduate of the Toudou School, which should give us a general idea, yes? Underhanded beasts like him abound."

Hiroshi then said "Guys on Sudou's level abound? Hey Ryousuke, PROJECT D has only just gotten started. This is our second expidition. Shouldn't we have put this off until a little later?"

Ryousuke said "No. If the project is such that it could be crushed here, then it could have won later anyway. In this one night, we shall put ourselves to the test. We shall unify our efforts and crush Daiki Ninomiya and Smiley Sakai!"

Meanwhile, Daiki and Smiley were talking to some friends about PROJECT D. Their friend Sidney said "PROJECT D, eh? They seemed more respectable than I imagined. "

A guy named Kazuya said "To be honest, I was impressed. As a team, they looked quite efficient."

Sidney then said "Yeah, I feel the same. Those three minivans were stuffed with tires and parts for the undersides."

Smiley said "The FD and the R34 each had their own mechanics, all working busily. They were a pretty capable bunch."

Then Sidney said "Some really smart guy is probably giving out the orders, huh?"

Smiley then said "Judging by appearances, they may be more skilled than we thought. Up till yesterday, I wasn't looking forward to this at all, but…"

Ryuichi then said "A race by outside rules sure looks fun! Races between Toudou students are way too strict and are no fun at all."

Sidney then said "They get you for the tiniest mistake and you will get chewed out by Mr. Toudou if you slip up even a little."

Kazuya then said "Compared to that, a race by outside rules on only half-serious, right? I'd like to try. Let me do it!"

Sidney then said "I want to try, too!"

Smiley then said "Come on, be reasonable. Defer to the graduates, your seniors, and let the active racers take the lead here. Daiki's EK9 will take the downhill and my Integra turbo wake race the uphill."

Ryuichi then said "Well, I guess it can't be helped."

Kazuya then said "In exchange, on the off chance that you lose, we're not going to cut y'all any slack. Because you will be muddying the name of the Toudou School."

Sidney then said "Yeah! Whoever loses has to pay a penalty of a million yen!"

Daiki said "A MILLION YEN?" & Smiley said "That's pretty steep." & Daiki said "This isn't funny, Sidney!"

Meanwhile Keisuke and May decided to go back to the vans.

Keisuke got out of his car and said "Water temperature is stable."

Minoru said "How's the traction?"

Keisuke said "It feels great. I can really open the throttle. Once you put in the oil, I'm going to try another two or three runs with this setup."

Minoru said "All right."

Keisuke then said "The twists in this road are incredible. This course's downhill is dangerous!"

Meanwhile, Ash was talking to May. He said "I changed out your brake pads with some really durable ones. That will cause a corresponding drop in your absolute braking. Be careful about that."

May said "Got it. I'm going now, Ash."

Ash then said "I would like to check your pads after five laps, so come back here once you're done."

May said "Thank you, Ash." She then left for a test run.

Kenta said to himself "The faces of Ryousuke and the others are different. What is this feeling? It's a sense of anxiousness they didn't have when on expeditions as the Red Suns. I think something incredible is happening. I'm scared. So scared I want to run away!"

While driving, Keisuke said "So acting as a driver for PROJECT D begins by learning to endure this?"

The next day at Yuichi's gas station, Kenji said "It's coming up tonight, huh? PROJECT D vs. Sakai and Ninomiya!"

Max said "You really have a lot of free time, don't you?"

Kenji then said "Hey, aren't you looking to it? Seeing what kind of race May will run."

Max said "Yes, but it's not like we can head to Tochigi and watch for ourselves, is it?"

Drew said "Why don't you go, Kenji? After all, you're free, right?"

Kenji shouted "SHUT UP! Quit saying I'm free because I don't have a girlfriend!"

Drew then said "It's not like I'm coming right out and saying anything about not having a girlfriend."

Kenji said "You are saying that, aren't you?"

Drew said "Nah, nah."

Yuichi said in his head "Tonight, eh? But this time, even May…"

Later that day in Tochigi, Hiroshi, May, and Ash were hanging out. It was sunset.

Hiroshi said "The sun's finally going down, huh? I couldn't sleep very well last night. This day sure has felt long. Why are things so tense? Maybe because yesterday we couldn't see the local guys in their cars at all. It's nerve-wracking not being able to see your opponents race."

Ash said "We can't get any data on them either."

Hiroshi then said "But the flip side of that is, they didn't get to see our racing either. I've got a bad feeling. Or maybe I'm over-thinking things. Sure, there's such a thing as having a level of absolute confidence, but we have not been blown off like that once since our days with the Red Suns."

May said "Hiroshi, that stuff doesn't bother me the slightest. I've raced different people before joining this team, and it has always been like this. I can concentrate more if I don't know anything about my opponent. It's about racing down the road in front of you, not thinking about needless things, right? Right now, I'm enjoying this so much that I can't take it."

Hiroshi said "May…"

Ash said "I have known May for quite some time. She isn't talking crap."

May then said "I don't know how to put it, but this is a whole lot of fun."

Hiroshi said "Oh. When I hear it like that, May's actually right."

Ash said "She is one smart cookie. She was named valedictorian this year at Haruna Senior High School."

Hiroshi said in his head "That's incredible, being able to enjoy a situation like this. She's "big," but on a strange scale. She's a different type of racer from Ryousuke and Keisuke. Haruna's R34, May Chan. It's no wonder we're all worked up, you having made it this far. We've got no choice but to believe in the downhill ace Ryousuke chose."

That night, Daiki and Smiley were in the Toudou shop. Smiley said "Daiki?"

Daiki said "I would like to check the brake area, so I'm going to borrow a jack and some tools, Sakai."

Smiley said "Sure. A final check for tonight's race?"

Daiki said "Nothing so dramatic. To be honest, my heart's not in this. I can't get myself motivated."

Smiley then said "I sort of picked up on that. You have not been acting too excited since last night. It's because of the other guys' cars, right?"

Daiki said "Yeah! You get it, right? Most of all, that R34. Even when you went running circles around it, it would just be like bullying the weak, right? What I saw yesterday has really gotten me bummed out. No matter how good the driver is, I can't find a single thing to get fired up about! Even that FD would have made a better opponent."

Smiley said "This is just like you, this hang-up of yours. What the big deal? Everyone knows it doesn't matter what car it is, when it comes to the downhill, there's no way you're going to lose! Change your mood around and show her just how a big a gap in skill there is between you two. These guys were the ones who challenged us. There's no reason to hold back, right? Even if your opponent's some inferior R34.

Then, Daiki and Smiley decided to go to Happogahara. May arrived with van #1.

She said "My name is May Chan."

Daiki said "I am Daiki Ninomiya." He then said in his head "She's young. This is PROJECT D's downhill racer, eh?"

Hiroshi then walked over and said "We would like to run these as lead/follow races. Choose whichever position you like for the first race."

Daiki then said "Are you for real? We're local racers, and we've got the advantage."

Hiroshi said "This is our racing style."

Daiki said "That's awfully confident of you. Fine. In that case, for the first race, I will follow."

Hiroshi said "Okay, then shall we begin?"

Ryuichi said "You're okay coming from behind? Wouldn't going first have gotten this over easier?"

Daiki said in a soft voice "Probably, but there's been a little snag."

Daiki stared at May and said "You get it, don't you? This girl isn't the walk in the park we thought she would be."

Ryousuke was in another area. He said "Ah. He chose to come behind for the first race? Put May on."

At the start point, Hiroshi said "May. It's Ryousuke."

May took the phone and said "Hello?"

Ryousuke said "May, listen closely. I have two basic instructions."

After talking for a bit, May said "Okay… Okay. Understood." She then hung up.

Hiroshi then said "We're counting on you, May."

May then said "Fumihiro, today's opponent is really amazing. I can feel it. He's incredibly fast."

May then got in her car and Daiki pulled behind her.

Hiroshi said "Start out slow, then open the throttle when you come out the first right. The R34 will start first, with you following."

Daiki said "Understood." Hiroshi ran away so he wouldn't get run over. May and Daiki were revving their cars.

Daiki said to himself "The driver of that R34 seems a lot more legit that I'd imagined. I chose to come from behind because I had gotten a little curious. Why an R34? What can you do with a car like that? I will have you show me! Okay, go! Let's get started!

Hiroshi said to Ryousuke on his cell phone "Can you hear that, Ryousuke? It will be starting soon. The critical night for PROJECT D to ask itself what it's capable of!" Ryousuke then hung up.


	6. Act 06: Two Pieces of Advice

May was about to start her race with Daiki Ninomiya at Happogahara. She would be racing him in an EK9 Civic Type R. When they reached the first corner, May punched the accelerator and the race began.

She and Daiki were racing furiously towards the next corner.

People were amazed at how amazing and awesome the two were.

One spectator with glasses said "Wait, Ninmiya's EK9 is coming from the rear?"

Another spectator said "If he's gone in front, the race probably would have been over in a second!"

The spectator with glasses then said "Isn't that kind of killing his advantage."

May and Daiki raced into the next corner.

A guy in a red sweater said "But that R34 isn't exactly slow!"

His friend said "Yeah, you're right. Maybe it's just me, but it looks super fast!"

Meanwhile, Daiki was still staying behind May.

At the parking lot, Ryousuke said "I believed he would take the starting position, but he chose to come from behind, eh? Impressive. A wise choice."

Keisuke said "Big brother? You told May something on the phone earlier before the race started, right? What kind of advice did you give her?"

Ryousuke then said "It was nothing that would warrant being called advice. I merely gave her two basic instructions."

Keisuke said "Such as?"

Ryousuke said "I said no matter what, do not in the rearview mirror until the end of the first race."

Keisuke then said "The rearview mirror? In other words, don't look behind you?"

Meanwhile, May and Daiki were still racing hard.

Daiki said to himself "Yesterday, someone said that racing by outside rules would be nice and fun or something. CRAP! This is no joke! At this girl's level, she could participate in Toudou School races and even hold her own! Who the hell is she? I'm shocked, and not in a small way! There's never been anyone who could run this course a single night and get to this level of mastery, not even at the Toudou School! What's more, I don't know what kind of tuning her car has, but it can go up against my B16 engine, and is even incredibly good at turning. This thing is no R34! If an FR is done up this well, this is the kind of race it's capable of! With this, they have made a normal R34 into a beast, but this time, they're out of luck! This is the home course of us, the Toudou School!"

May and Daiki flew by the next couple of corners.

Meanwhile Smiley and his friends were watching from the parking lot. He said "Up till yesterday, we made a lot of fun of our opponent's R34, but right before the start, there was something about her, a feeling. That's probably why Daiki chose to come from behind. I'm sure I would have made the same choice. I'd like to see from behind what kind of race the "fastest in Gunma" can run. If it's some lousy racing that betrays your expectations, you can tear out ahead and end the race."

Ryoichi then said "Yeah, that you could. They say he's the best of us currently racing, right? What's his specialty?"

Smiley said "Daiki is good at braking. Though when you hear "braking," it sounds sort of bland."

Ryoichi said "Nah, that's not bland at all. There's no better weapon than that in the downhill! If you're a graduate of the Toudou School, you understand why all too well."

Meanwhile Daiki was pressuring May from behind. They flew by some spectators.

May then remembered what Ryousuke said to her before the race. He said "He chose to come from behind for the first race? Listen closely, May. Do not look in your rearview mirror, right up to the end of the first race. Concentrate solely on your strategy for the course. If you run your own race, you will not be overtaken. Listen, May. No matter what, don't look behind you!"

Meanwhile, Daiki stayed close to May's rear bumper.

Daiki then said in his head "I have got the general idea of what that R34 is capable of. It's better than I'd thought, but apparently nothing for me to get worked up about. Even with the pride of the Toudou School on the line, I want to finish this in the first race. I've got to tear around her somewhere. I will make my chance by putting as much pressure on her as I can. I want to see how much she can take!"

May then braked and Daiki nearly ran into her rear bumper.

Some spectators were watching. One noticed how close they were. Another spectator said their bumpers would hit.

Daiki then said "It's common knowledge now that in this class, the FF is faster than the FR. So this guy must have the most powerful type R. I can't just stay behind this R34 forever. I will definitely end this in the first race!

Ryoichi then said "The thing about braking when going into a corner is, what's more important isn't' when you start to brake, it's when you finish. If the point at which you finish decelerating and start to turn is too far or too soon, it will result in lost time. Guys with good driving skills will recover well and won't screw it up, but every corner definitely has only one idea point for releasing the brake pedal."

Smiley then said "That's right. Mr. Toudou is always saying that braking is the most difficult driving skill."

Ryoichi then said "Of course." & Smiley then said "Daiki's assessment of that point is always accurate. No matter how long a braking maneuver, the point at which he releases the pedal is always right on the money. It's what you call an innate sense.

Meanwhile, Daiki was trying to make a move on May. He tried to out brake May but May blocked him and prevented him to pass.

Daiki then remember what Mr. Toudou told him. He said "Daiki, these days, ABS has become standard in the racing world. That's how efficient the current ABS is. And yet, the Toudou School has done away with ABS. First, you got to learn how to brake without relying on ABS. Unless you bludgeon yourself with the difficulty of braking until you can't stand it, you'll never understand how to really use ABS. It's a rule of the Toudou School."

Then Daiki passed May on the outside but had to brake before completing the pass. May drifted into the next corner and blocked Daiki. May was able to keep the lead.

Daiki said to himself "This course doesn't have a center line, but it's still plenty wide. There are several points from which I can overtake her, but now what? I use braking to wedge myself into position, but I can't quite make it. Who would have thought an FR's corner entry could be this fast?"

Some spectators were near where May and Daiki were heading.

One spectator in a purple sweater said "It's awesome how close he is on her tail, huh? Those are some serious skills."

A spectator with an orange jacket said "No matter how you look at it, Ninomiya's EK9 is so much faster! An R34 is too slow!"

The spectator in the purple sweater said "It's not that simple. He wouldn't stay neck-and-neck with some slow girl, would he? Unless he really believed in that girl's skill, he wouldn't be on her tail like that. The girl in that R34 must be super fast."

The spectator with the orange jacket then said "FOR REAL?"

The guy with the purple sweater said "Yeah. Even in a race with other students from the school, I've never seen Ninomiya get that close to someone before. It's proof that cool, collected Ninomiya is started to get unusually fired up."

Meanwhile May did her best to keep Daiki behind her.

Daiki then said "This girl has some serious willpower. No matter how much pressure I put on her, she won't budge. Even someone from the Toudou School would surely have reacted to this by now."

May drifted into the next corner.

May said to herself "I don't have to look in the rearview mirror to know he's staying right close behind me. I can feel the pressure on my back, a prickling so sharp that it hurts. Still, having decided not to look in the rearview mirror feels strangely good, it lets me concentrate. Ryousuke had two instructions. All I have to do is follow them!"

Meanwhile in the parking lot, Keisuke wanted to talk with Ryousuke. Kenta was also curious. He said "Big brother, what's the other one? The second instruction you gave May."

Ryousuke said "The other one is controlled RPMs! The R34 has up to 13,000 RPMs, but I have her not using the top-end 2,000 RPMs and shifting up when she reaches 11,000 RPM."

Keisuke then said "Are you serious? Why bother doing something like that?"

Ryousuke said "Because I don't wish to show our opponent all the cards in our hand. As May isn't yet capable of executing a more refined strategy this was the only way I could think of that was both simple and would produce results. Limiting our strength against such a powerful enemy is course a risk, but if May successfully evades him for the first race, we can draw up simulation for him to win the competition. It's an enormous all-or-nothing bet."

Keisuke then said "So she's restricting the top-end 2,000 RPMs and still outracing that Toudou School downhill racer? When did she acquire that level of technique?"

Ryousuke then said "May converts all her experiences into self-improvement!"

May then drifted into a hairpin. She kept the car in perfect control.

Meanwhile, Ryousuke said "To that end, an exceptional degree of concentration is required."

Keisuke said "I get it. That's why you told her not to look behind, so she wouldn't be rocked by her opponent's pressure tactics and lose concentration."

May was still trying to keep Daiki at bay. Daiki tried to pass May at the next corner but May drifted to block him."

Daiki then said "This isn't funny… This is bullcrap! I didn't see this turn of events coming. Choosing to follow in the first race was a mistake! It's like I'm actually having difficulty with this!"

When May and Daiki were finished with race one, they switched positions for race two. This time, Daiki would lead and May would chase. Hiroshi then gave them the okay to start the second race. May and Daiki started slowly until they reached the first corner. As soon as they got to the first corner, Daiki floored the accelerator and race two began.

Daiki then said "I had her show me plenty during the first race, both the R34's racing capacity and her driving skill! It doesn't have enough speed to keep up with me. I'm going to finish this in a flash!"

May and Daiki zoomed by the corners.

May then said "HE'S FAST!"

May tried her best to stay behind Daiki's EK9.

She then said "He's so fast. This is really bad! I have no wiggle room at all. I'm really at my limit! This is definitely at a faster pace than the first race. Can I keep up with him at this rate?"

Ryousuke then said to Keisuke and Kenta "May will expend considerable power of concentration when coming from behind. Her senses are such that she will be able to deal with speeds she has never experienced. She should be able to keep up. In the course of being dragged along by a local racer faster than herself, she will make her enemy's speed completely and utterly her own."

May kept on trailing Daiki close behind.

Ryousuke then went on to say "If things proceed according to my simulation, she will overtake Ninomiya." He then said in his head "I am counting on you, May. Rely on your senses!"

May still kept pressuring Daiki from behind.

Daiki was shocked to see May was right behind him. He said "What's going on? I should have a clear idea of her max speed from the first race, but she's definitely racing above that speed now! There's no way she should be able to keep up! So what's she doing there?"

May then said to herself "I am scared. Up till now, I've never thought that doing the downhill could be this scary. If I let off the gas, it's all over. It would be easy, but the other part of me is saying "Don't you dare let off!"

Meanwhile a guy on his phone said "Is that for real? All right. I just heard from the guys at the first hairpin, and it looks like there's no space at all between the two cars."

Ryoichi then said "What does that mean? This is bad."

May still kept the pressure on Daiki. She kept on following him. The two still kept on driving by the corners with a great deal of speed. They had just cleared a hairpin.

Daiki then said "I can't shake her off! This is at a much faster pace than the first race, but she's keeping right up!"

Meanwhile Ryousuke told Keisuke and Kenta "If May can keep up in the second race, a certain advantageous element will present itself as she enters the second half. Do you know what that is?"

Kenta said "Uh, no. I don't have a clue."

Ryousuke said "And you, Keisuke?"

Keisuke said "I get it, for the most part. It's the difference in drive systems, right? With the FR, the rear tires do the job of accelerating the car, but in the FF's case, in corner entries and also when it accelerates, only the front tires get worked. A downhill attack places load on front tires that are already taxed. The tires of the front-wheel drive EK9 will start feeling the strain first."

At the next corner, Daiki said "DAMN IT! Unbelievable! I thought I could settle this in the first race and pushed my car too hard along unreasonable angles! That was an incredible mistake. It has put excess strain on the tires."

Ryousuke then said The RPM limitation was a confusion tactic. A driver of that caliber would be able to accurately grasp the capabilities of the car driving ahead of her, in other words, determine she could overtake it and plan a short, decisive battle."

Keisuke then said "So you wanted to put added wear on his tires and brakes? That's incredible bro. To think that those two pieces of advice had such deep thought to them."

Ryousuke said "The important part has yet to come. The R34's tires can't hold out that long either. It's unknown whether she can make use of the slight chance she has been given."

May still followed Daiki from behind.

May then said in her head "It's not just my imagination. His corner entry has suddenly gotten sloppier. Is it his tires? The tires are causing heat shear, but mine still have strength left in them! I can tear past this fast EK9 and end the race!"

May then everything she could to try to pass Daiki.

Mean in the parking lot, Keisuke then said "If it were you, where would you start looking for the point to strike in this situation?"

Ryousuke said "On any mountain pass, the more you run it, the more there will be points where the gear ratio simply won't match. For example, a point where, as your accelerate toward a corner, you waver between shifting up or not."

Kenta then said "I get that much, but what if your tachometer's in the red zone, but you don't have enough room to shift gears and accelerate? In cases like that, you do nothing and just grin and bear it, right? That sure is terrible. It's like your hands are tied, unable to speed up or slow down, huh?"

Keisuke was listening closely to what Kenta said. Keisuke then said "OH! SO THAT'S IT! I've got it! The R34's engine has more RPMs than the EK9's! That engine has some kind of ace up its sleeve."

May then went to pass Daiki.

Keisuke then said "Advising her to rein in the top-end 2,000 RPMs and not showing them to the opponent. That was the real objective!"

May made her move on Daiki. Daiki was shocked to see May pass him. He said "WHAT?" May used the outside to gain momentum. Then they braked for the next corner. She drifted and was able to make the pass on Daiki.

Daiki the said "SHE PASSED ME! Braking is my specialty, but it let her pass me!"

May and Daiki then drove into the parking lot.

Daiki then got out of his EK9.

Smiley said "Daiki."

Daiki then said "I am sorry. He beat me."

Ryoichi then said "What the hell is going on? I don't believe it! You, a local, lost?"

Ryousuke and Hiroshi then walked over to May who got out of her car.

Ryousuke said "Well done, May. You did an excellent job."

May then said "Thank you."

Ash then walked over to May and gave her a bottle of water.

May then said to herself "I am glad. I got so worked up that I'm dripping with cold sweat. Ryousuke almost never makes that sort of face. I was able to follow through with what Ryousuke had hoped. I beat a semi-pro and I feel so proud. However, that race took a toll on me and I'm pretty god damn tired."

Meanwhile, Keisuke and Smiley pulled up to the start line for their race. Smiley would lead while Keisuke would try to pass him.

Kenta said "Please do your best, Keisuke."

Keisuke then said in his head "Of course I will. I'm going on the attack, right from the first race."

Smiley and Keisuke then revved up their cars. A guy then said the uphill battle would now begin.


	7. Act 07: The Starting Line to Victory

MAY 14, 2000

TIME: AROUND 10:00 AM

May just pulled into Yuichi's gas station. She had just returned from Tochigi after she and Keisuke defeated Daiki Ninomiya and Smiley Sakai from the Toudou Racing School. Max noticed her pulling in. When she got out of her R34, Max said "Hey, sis! Do you have the day off today?"

May said "Yeah. Nothing's going on today."

Then Drew ran over to see May. He said "I finally did it!"

May said "Did what?"

Drew then said "The new intercooler. I told you before, right? I was going to install a racing intercooler for my GC8!"

May was mesmerized by what Drew said.

Drew went on to say "My car's at the shop right now. Man, I can't wait until the day I get it back!"

Max said "So Drew's GC8 will get an upgrade, going from fast to super fast, huh?"

Drew said "What do you think you're saying, Max? I will let you know they're expecting it will have at least 400 horsepower! In which case, it will zoom by your NSX on the uphill and downhill."

May said "It will have that much power? Man, I wish I could get a racing intercooler for my R34."

Then Max said "Anyway, sis. I heard from Kenji you guys beat those racers from the Toudou School."

May said "Yeah, somehow."

Max then said "And it seems that Keisuke also won the uphill timed race! The Toudou School couldn't do a thing, huh? PROJECT D sure is incredible."

Drew got excited and said "I wonder if my GC8 with the new intercooler will get me scouted for PROJECT D, too."

Max laughed and said "THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!"

That night at the Toudou School, Daiki and Smiley were outside. Then a car pulled up. It was a pro racer who graduated from the Toudou School. His name was Tomoyuki Tachi. This shocked Daiki.

Tomoyuki said "I heard you all lost. I want to hear the details."

A few minutes later, Mr. Toudou was inside with Tomoyuki. He took a puff of his cigarette and said "Well, I think this incident will be a good lesson for them. This kind of motivation is important, too. As long as you keep racing, you're going to run into different kinds of walls. For both Daiki and Sakai, this was an encounter with one such wall. It's only the guys who suffer through it who can climb that wall and move onward. When you hit a wall you can't climb, that's when you've reached your limits as a driver. But Tomoyuki, you should still be able to climb any number of the walls you're hitting now."

Tomoyuki said "This is embarrassing. You could tell, could you, Sir?"

Toudou then said "If I couldn't tell that much, I wouldn't be fit to run the Toudou School."

Tomoyuki then said "My wall is pretty intense. I've been made keenly aware that in racing, having funds is everything. After losing on the straightaway, I pushed myself too far, making stupid mistakes or getting into trouble. The team's morale is getting worse and with this economy, the sponsors are not lining up. The future looks grim. This may be one way I'm powerless against my own. I really don't know what I should do."

Toudou then said "That's where you're wrong, Tomoyuki. You've forgotten something very important. This is a problem I can guarantee lies with you. Don't you get it?"

Tomoyuki was shocked to hear what Mr. Toudou said.

Then Toudou went on to say "Why don't you give street racing a try?"

Tomoyuki said "Are you being serious? You're the one who said not to do anything stupid out on the street once turning pro!"

Toudou then said "Sometimes you have to be an idiot. Just think of it like you'll be pulling a fast one on those street-racing amateurs! You'll probably find the answer you're looking for now."

The next morning in Akagi, Keisuke told Ryousuke he was coming into his room. Keisuke had just woken up. Keisuke said "You said we got a rematch challenge from the Toudou School?"

Ryousuke said "From one of its graduates."

Keisuke said "A graduate?"

Ryousuke said "Yes."

Keisuke then said "We're accepting, right?"

That night, Ryousuke decided to call Kyle Sudou. Kyle picked up his phone. Ryousuke was somewhat shocked to hear Kyle's voice.

Kyle said "You got a rematch challenge from a graduate of the Toudou School, right? You're better off not accepting it. I know you're not the type of guy to listen when told not to do something, but listen up. Your challenger this time is a pro racer! His name's Tomoyuki Tachi. He's in a league of his own, even compared to other Toudou School students. Even the mighty PROJECT D can't be 100% assured of winning. If there's no way that this can be avoided, just do it, Ryousuke! As long as the course is the street and as long as there's even a sliver of a chance, you need to race this yourself."

Meanwhile at Happogahara, Tomoyuki was doing a test run on the pass in one of the demo cars for the Toudou School.

Daiki was amazed when Tomoyuki passed by him. Then he said "Incredible. The Toudou & Company demo cars are fast enough as it is, but having Tomo behind the wheel…"

Daiki's friend said "I got goose bumps just watching. Just once, I'd like to be in the passenger seat next to him."

Daiki then said "It's like he's in a whole other zone we could race our entire lives and never reach. Seeing this, I could care less whether it's a revenge match against PROJECT D, I just have to watch his next race! An all-out street race with pro race driver Tomoyuki Tachi… There will never be a second chance to see it!"

Meanwhile Mr. Toudou was also watching Tomoyuki race down the pass. When Tomoyuki saw Mr. Toudou, he stopped the car and got out of it. Mr. Toudou asked Tomoyuki how the car was. Tomoyuki said "Very nice. I have no complaints. Any problems down the road will be because of human emotion. Or rather, driver's preference."

Mr. Toudou then said "I will make it fit your preference. What do you want?"

Tomoyuki said "Really? But is it necessary to go that far when the car already has such incredible racing capabilities? Even though you said the challengers are amateurs…"

Toudou then said "It may be just a street race, but if you don't give it your all, there's no point in doing it. Listen, Tomoyuki. Don't think about needless details, and just treat this as if it were a real race. Show me the best job you're capable of right now."

Tomoyuki sighed and then said "Understood. If you're going to be that adamant about it, I have a small request to make about the underbody. Please retune it so that the rear comes out a little more when entering corners. The way I drive now, that will trim my race time."

Toudou said "Okay, understood. No problem."

Meanwhile, Hiroshi was amazed to see how the R34 was looking. After taking it out for a test run, May and Ash returned. Ash said to Hiroshi "Based on Ryousuke's advice, I've tried to make the R34 more lightweight. Going forward, we plan to try several such small modifications."

Then Ryousuke told everyone to gather around for a meeting. He showed everyone a video cassette. Then he said "This is footage of the race course shot today. If you watch this, I think you'll understand. This particular stage is a mix, half uphill and half downhill."

Keisuke then asked "In that case, who runs it, me or May?"

Ryousuke said "we will decide that once we reach the course. Both cars will do a practice run and I will review the results to make my decision."

Keisuke said in his head "What the hell? It's going to be me, of course! I'm the ace driver!"

Then Ryousuke went on to say "This is important, so I will say it up front: our opponent's from the Toudou School. What's more, he's an established pro racer."

Both May and Keisuke were shocked to hear what Ryousuke had just said to them. Then Kenta said "A PRO? NO WAY!"

Hiroshi said "No matter how you look at it, this is a bad idea, Ryousuke. Our guys will run right into his traps!"

Kenta then said "THAT'S RIGHT! This is playing dirty!"

Ryousuke said "There will be no way of knowing unless we challenge him. I've thought it over and decided that we shall do it. We should never run away from any opponent. That's the motto of PROJECT D!"

Keisuke then said "Let me do it, brother. If the stage is a mix of uphill and downhill, then with its level of power, the FD should have the advantage over May's R34."

Kenta said "That's right!"

Ryousuke said "Keisuke. Do not make me say the same thing twice. As I said, I will decide who races once we arrive at the course!"

The next day at the Toudou School, Tomoyuki was reading a newspaper when Daiki walked in. Daiki said to Tomoyuki "PROJECT D will start their practice runs tonight. What will you do? Would you like to go take a look later? They'll be racing till close to dawn, tuning their cars while running the course."

Then Tomoyuki said "It's like they're playing racecar. They're doing the same thing we normally do when racing a circuit, eh? To be honest, I don't really know what Mr. Toudou is thinking. I think he knows I'm stressed and he's probably trying to give me a chance to snap out of it. The thing is, there's no reason for me to look forward to some street race. I'm only doing this because I think it's best to do what he says. And since I've decided to do it, I won't pull any punches, even against an amateur. You all just watch closely and see how big a difference there is between pros and amateurs!"

That night, Ryousuke had a meeting with May and Keisuke at the top of the course before they went out on their practice runs. He said "This is a tough course that incorporates all different types of racing. The car's condition, driver technique… This course will require the best of both. As always, run 5 races at 80%. This is not the Toudou School's course, but they should already have raced it before us. Concentrate and head out!"

May and Keisuke then went to their cars and started their practice runs. Keisuke went out first.

Meanwhile, Ash said to May "Keisuke certainly it taking this seriously."

May said "Yes, he is."

Then Ash said "I say we take our time with it. I don't know whether we'll race or not, but we should at least get everything done right."

May said "Okay, Ash."

Ash said "As always, our real enemy is the course." Then May took off.

Hiroshi walked over to Ryousuke and said "This isn't like you, heading out alone to scout out the corse. What's more, taking the FC with you."

Ryousuke said "There is no special meaning me bringing my own car. The important thing was simply to grab the steering wheel and know the course. However, it…"

Hiroshi said "What is it?"

Then Ryousuke said "Once the contrary, it has made me more confused. Fumihiro, you give the orders in my stead. The same routine as always, so there should be no problems."

Hiroshi said "WHAT? And what are you going to do?"

Ryousuke said "Sleep." He started to walk over to one of the vans.

Hiroshi said "HEY!' & Ryousuke said "I have been absorbed with a clinical pathology report and have just remembered I've worked until the early hours for three days now. I thought my head was operating rather sluggishly. Don't wake me up."

Ryousuke got in the van to get some sleep.

Meanwhile May and Keisuke continued to practice on the course. Keisuke was pushing his FD to the limit. While driving, he said "I get it. Not only are there steep ups and downs, there are so many variables to this course that it's hard to keep balanced. I guess that's what my brother meant when he said this was a tough course." Then May passed by. Keisuke then said in his head "I wonder how my skills will stack up against a pro racer. This is my best chance to test it out!"

Meanwhile at the top, Hiroshi said to Ash "How on earth is this going to turn out? I'm really worried about this."

Ash said "There it is again. That old Fumihiro anxiousness."

Hiroshi then said "That's not it. This time, something is really strange and I've known Ryousuke for a long time."

Ash then said "But… He would never use the R34 on this course, would he?"

Hiroshi said "Yeah. That's what I'm thinking." Hiroshi then turned his head to the van where Ryousuke was sleeping and said in his head "What are you planning, Ryousuke? NO! It couldn't be!"

May continued her practice run on Happogahara. She too was nervous about the upcoming race.

At the top, Minoru and Ash were working on Keisuke's FD. Minoru told Keisuke that the adjustments were all done. Keisuke then took his FD for another practice run. Then May came back to the top.

The next morning, Hiroshi and Ash were hanging out at an Italian restaurant. Hiroshi said "My back hurts. You can't get a good night's sleep in a car, can you?"

Ash said "Ryousuke's pretty incredible about that, isn't he? He can sleep soundly and not wake up at all! Our great leader…"

Hiroshi said "That's nothing to make fun of, Ash! I swear! Only just yesterday, he let us know just how important he is. An organization can't perform smoothly if its "brain" isn't functioning. Our spirits are low and we're operating disjointedly and he should know it. No matter how you look at it, this time around, it's strange."

Ash wanted to know what Hiroshi meant.

Hiroshi then said "This is just between you and me, Ash. I think Ryousuke can't come up with a simulation that will let us win. After exploring any and all possibilities, if he still can't find a way we can win…"

That night, Minoru and Ash were looking at the cars. Ash said "That's Ryousuke for you. Configuring the cars should have taken till morning but Ryousuke was somehow able to do it last night in two hours. I wondered what was going on for a while there, but Ryousuke sure is incredible!"

Then cars were roaring. Kenta soon found out it was the Toudou School.

Mr. Toudou asked someone to bring him a flashlight and a jack.

Keisuke said "Looks like the boss man finally showed his face. I immediately knew which one was today's driver!"

May said "Me, too. He's different, isn't he?"

Then Ryousuke said "Keisuke, May. Come here a moment." May and Keisuke walked over to Ryousuke. Ryousuke told them "After reviewing yesterday's data, I've made my decision. Tonight, the R34 is racing. That mean you, May."

Everyone else on PROJECT D was shocked to hear that May would be racing Tomoyuki.

Keisuke then said "Hold on a minute, brother! I had a better time in the practice runs!"

Ryousuke said "I know that."

Keisuke said "Then unless you explain, I can't accept it. Why the R34?!"

Ryousuke said "I will explain later. There's something I must do now, quickly. May. Get in my car's passenger seat. I shall lecture you as we ride." Ryousuke then took May for a ride in his FC.

Meanwhile, Keisuke said "Brother… this isn't right!"

Hiroshi walked over and said "Keisuke, don't let it get to you. What Ryousuke does, he does for an important reason."

Keisuke said "I know that!" & then he walked away. Then Keisuke went on to say "And knowing that just makes it more disgraceful!"

Meanwhile, Ryousuke lectured May on the course.

At the top, Tomoyuki was now showing off his racing suit. Daiki was amazed about Tomoyuki looked. Daiki then said "Just once, I'd like to wear something like that!"

Tomoyuki said "Idiot. These are like battle fatigues. Once you put these on, playtime is over. You fight, with the pride of a professional."

Then Mr. Toudou asked for Tomoyuki. He said to him "Even our demo cars will lose to an FD on a straightaway. Don't let your guard down."

Tomoyuki then said "I already have a counter-strategy in mind. That's why I had to car tuned to my specs. Just leave the rest to me."

A couple minutes later, Ryousuke arrived back at the top of the course with May. They both got out of Ryousuke's FC. Ryousuke then asked "Are the R34's preparations complete?"

Ash said "It's already done warming up. It's good to go anytime."

Ryousuke said "Very well, let's start. Fumihiro."

Hiroshi said "Got it." Then he walked over to Tomoyuki while May got in her R34. Hiroshi said to Tomoyuki "All right, let's begin. There's plenty of road width, so we'd like to start with a simultaneous, side-by-side dash."

Tomoyuki said "Fine. I leave it all up to you."

Hiroshi said "Understood." Then he told May and Tomoyuki to line up for the start. When May pulled up the engine noise surprised Tomoyuki.

Daiki saw May come up and said "WHAT THE HECK? For real, the R34?!"

Mr. Toudou said "I didn't see this one coming, eh?"

Smiley said "What's the meaning of this?"

Mr. Toudou then said "They don't disappoint. Those guys from Gunma. We were 100% sure they'd come with the FD, meaning they've avoided all our preparations. To think they'd use some clunky R34…"

Then Tomoyuki lined up next to May. Mr. Toudou then went on to say "This is quite the insult to us and Tomoyuki. Still, that makes it all the more interesting."

Meanwhile, Smiley started the countdown. When he said go, May and Tomoyuki took off. Kenta saw May take an early lead and said "All right! Her front section has pulled halfway ahead!"

May and Tomoyuki raced to the first corner.


	8. Act 08: Blind Attack

When we left off, May started her race with Toudou Racing School graduate and pro racer Tomoyuki Tachi. They were racing at Happogahara in Tochigi, Prefecture. The race just started and both May and Tomoyuki raced to the first corner. Everyone watching was watching to see who would be first. May took the lead at the first corner which had everyone in awe.

Hiroshi then said "Sure enough, in a simultaneous dash, an FR probably has the advantage over an FF."

Ash then asked Hiroshi "That'd be because of the difference in their drive systems, huh?"

Smiley walked to Daiki and Mr. Toudou and said "I assume this is according to plan, what's just happened."

Mr. Toudou said "Indeed. That R34 has some rather impressive acceleration, but I'm suspicious as to whether Tomoyuki stepped all the way on the gas. From here to the first corner, it's a battle of just a few seconds, but it could greatly affect the course of the entire race."

Meanwhile May and Tomoyuki raced down the pass. They were racing each other hard.

At a corner Kyle Sudou and Seiji Iwaki were watching the race. Seiji was on his phone when he said "Really, is that true? Okay. Understood." Then he hung up and said "You're not going to believe what happened, Kyle. PROJECT D used the R34! I mean this course has got an uphill and a downhill, so I thought for sure they would use the FD."

Kyle said in his head "Why, Ryousuke? Why did ignore my warning and insist on using the R34? This race isn't going to be some walk in the park!"

In the meantime May continued to lead over Tomoyuki. Tomoyuki still was able to stay on May's rear bumper.

At the top, Ryousuke said to Ash, Hiroshi, and Kenta "Going on the offensive from beginning certainly led to an advantageous start but it's not as simple as that. The area from this starting point to the first corner is one of all-out acceleration and it divulged plenty of information to our opponent. Accelerating from zero clearly reveals a car's potential. If one were to remain slightly behind and observe closely, the R34's racing capabilities would plain to see. It wouldn't be absolute engine power but rather everything from gear configuration to output characteristics relating to RPM acceleration. Once we have shown all our cards, the chances of a tactical victory over a pro racer are nil."

Hiroshi said "If tactics are no good, why bother racing? What about driving techniques?"

Ryousuke said to Hiroshi "Even May would be unable to defeat a pro racer using such techniques. Furthermore, her car's capabilities would provide no advantage. As far as I can tell, there are no shortcomings with our opponent's EK9. Power-wise, it's either on par or slightly above the horsepower settings for May's R34 for this race."

Hiroshi then said "WHAT? Then… From the start, you thought this was a race we couldn't possible win? RYOUSUKE!"

Ryousuke chuckled a bit and said "Don't leap to conclusions, Fumihiro. That's not what I'm saying. There is just one thing in which May is second to none, even when compared to a pro driver. It is that upon which I'm betting and why I chose May and not Keisuke. There is no such thing as a race that PROJECT D simply can't win. We fight with the pride of street specialists!"

Meanwhile May continued to hold a slim lead over Tomoyuki and his EK9.

At the top Smiley said "The strategy for this course can be roughly divided into four sections. Right after the start is a narrow stretch of area with no center line. If you're going to be the race on anything, it will be the next section after that. With the right amount of road width, someone like Tomo could lay down a trap anywhere. From the second section onward, the course widens up and there's more room to navigate. Doing one complete circuit is what will win the race, but when they return to this starting point, the thing to watch for is the distance between them."

In the meantime, May continued to keep Tomoyuki behind her. While racing, Tomoyuki said in his head "This road is narrow and has poor visibility, but from here it will suddenly change. Coming up is the new second section, where construction to widen the road has finished. It looks good, but the road surface is terrible. Joint lines in the asphalt are bumpy and will toss you around. It looks like it has a lot of power, but that R34 has a clunky suspension. I wonder how far it will even be able to go."

May and Tomoyuki zoomed by the corner and then raced to the next. Then Tomoyuki said in his head "So it can stay in complete control even when tossed around by bumpy road, eh? Well, not too bad. The R34 has some pretty solid suspension, but it's not enough to hide that it's having a hard time." He then noticed May at the next corner and said "I don't get it. Just what is the point of this race? The answer I'm looking for couldn't be in a place like this!"

Meanwhile at the top, Keisuke was laying down in his FD. Kenta walked over to see him and knocked on his window. Keisuke then opened up his eyes. He then said in his head "Okay, damn it. Fine!" Keisuke got out of his car. Ash said to Ryousuke "It seems like they've entered the second section."

Keisuke then walked over to Ash, Hiroshi, and Ryousuke. Ryousuke asked "Keisuke. Where have you been and what have you been doing?" Keisuke said "I was in my FD pouting but I started feeling like an idiot so I came out.

Ryousuke said "You want to ask my reasoning, don't you?" Keisuke looked at Ryousuke with a serious look on his face.

Meanwhile May and Tomoyuki continued to race. Both were pushing each other hard. Tomoyuki said in his head "We've passed the high-point corner. Coming up is the tight, downhill third section. I wonder how far this R34 will tag along. It won't be able to keep up for long. I have experience with this, as a pro!" They then attacked the corner. Then Tomoyuki said in his head "This is ridiculous. Any more time than this is just a waste. Even before I started, I knew the answer I was looking for wouldn't be here. I should just step up and end this thing now. If I get out in front of that R34, it's all over."

At the top, Keisuke said "I can't move forward unless I can think things out for myself. In my FD with the engine off, I cooled down a bit and worked through some reasons of my own and before long, I had it. When I heard we were going up against a pro racer, I got too worked up over it. I thought about it too much, to where even I thought it was getting dangerous and honestly, I was scared I'd get into a wreck. If I'd raced in that state, the outcome wouldn't have been good. You thought that too, right?"

Ryousuke said "It was a consideration, yes. But the real factor is somewhat different."

Mr. Toudou then said "Frankly, speed all boils down to experience. Pro racers always keep in mind to try to trim their lap time, so they have a time awareness that no hillside racer could possibly reach, no matter how much they practice. The number of training runs and the quality of racing completely different."

Then Ryousuke said "As part of PROJECT D's activities and in order to perfect my theories on street racing, I'm attempting two completely different approaches in pursuit of the same goal. It's for this reason that PROJECT D has two drivers."

Then Toudou said "If there's such a thing as a talent for driving, it means being able to improve a little faster than someone who hasn't got it. There's no such thing as an instinctive gift that could outdo accumulated effort. At least, I've never seen something like that, not once."

Ryousuke then went on to say "One driver will employ an orthodox style, applying motor sports techniques cultivated on the circuit toward street racing and the other driver will be a pure street specialist, a product of the streets! Theirs will be an irregular style, the result of high-speed racing on only one stage: the mountain pass."

Meanwhile May continued to keep Tomoyuki behind her.

Then Ryousuke said "Do you understand, Keisuke? Our opponent this time is of the orthodox style. An exceptional one at that. This doesn't mean that you're inferior to May."

Toudou said "Do you understand Daiki, Sakai? Winning or losing boils down to experience. If that's the reason you guys lost, it's the same reason that Tomo definitely won't!"

Ryousuke then said "It's about the nature of the racing. Therein lies the only chance of beating a pro racer."

Hiroshi said "I get it. You thought about all that when making your choice, huh? But if you'd just told us that in the beginning, we could have gotten things done without getting all confused."

Ryousuke said "I apologize for that. But the ones who are truly confused are our opponents."

Meanwhile, Seiji noticed that May and Tomoyuki were getting closer to them. Seiji said "They're heading into the four consecutive winding hairpins!" May and Tomoyuki attacked the first hairpin with brute speed. May drifted around the hairpin while Tomoyuki followed her.

Then Tomoyuki saw an opening at the second hairpin. He went to pass May which caught her off guard. Tomoyuki passed her on the inside to take the lead. May could not believe that she was passed by Tomoyuki at that hairpin.

Seiji then said "WHAT THE HECK! He passed Haruna's R34 like it was nothing!"

Kyle said "The disappearing line, eh?" Then Tomoyuki and May passed by. Kyle then showed Seiji what he meant by disappearing line and said "The line at which you disappear from the field of vision of the car in front of you. It looks like you're just following the in-line, but actually it's a high-level overtaking technique often used in circuit races. You enter the blind spot in your opponent's rearview mirror and, while trimming to as short a distance as possible, If it's timed just right, even another pro racer would have no way to prevent it. He pulled it off perfectly, like it was nothing."

Meanwhile Tomoyuki and May blazed by the final hairpin.

Then Kyle went on to say "In the four consecutive hairpins, the road widens out and there are any number of lines you could take to make your approach. That makes it closed the same conditions as the circuit. Meaning that as a racing driver, he'll be right in his element."

Tomoyuki and May continued on with the race. May noticed Tomoyuki's driving style and said in her head "DAMN IT! He's so fast!"

Tomoyuki and May then approached a bridge. Tomoyuki said to himself "Just before this bridge, I'm going to set a new speed record for this course! Once we cross the bridge is the fourth section, a tough uphill! I will speed ahead and it will be the end! She did pretty good for an amateur…"

Then May said in her head "After we cross this bridge comes the uphill. If my car doesn't have enough power, I won't be able to keep up. Come on, R34! I'm counting on your engine!" May pushed hard to not let Tomoyuki pull away.

At the next corner, Tomoyuki was surprised to see May behind him still. He then said in his head "She's staying right on my tail. This is a bit unusual. For an FD, which is fast one the straightaway, matching the gear ratio to the point on this course where you can achieve top speed will work against you once you reach here. The low-speed corners of the uphill section won't match that gear ratio. If your opponent drives a turbo, they can adjust, but I never thought they would use the R34. It's a crime! Their leader's a smart one, all right. It wasn't apparent on the downhill, but on the uphill, it's all too clear. That R34 behind me has a better gear configuration. Corners that I'm taking in second gear, she's taking in first."

Tomoyuki and May continued to fight each other hard. Then Tomoyuki said to himself "But more importantly ever since I overtook the R34, her concentration has definitely been on the rise."

The two were now reaching the cone where they would drive the course in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Tomoyuki saw that May still was keeping up with him. He said "She's done a good job keeping up with me. I feel like I'm watching a younger version of me."

May then said in her head "At this rate, he definitely won't free up any space. What do I do? I should make it so he can't see me! If I disappear from his field of vision, the way he did to me earlier… All I can do is try!" She then raced Tomoyuki through the tunnel. Then when May found a opening, she went for it. She turned off her headlights.

Tomoyuki saw that nothing was behind him. He said "She's gone! The R34 has disappeared from my mirrors!" Then Tomoyuki heard something that wasn't the sound of his car. He then looked out his window and saw May was right beside him.

May then turned her headlights back on. This shocked Tomoyuki. May passed on the inside and took the lead back from Tomoyuki.

Then Tomoyuki said "She got me. She used the disappearing line I just showed her, eh? This is the first time a car I passed has then passed me, and on a mountain road. I'm starting to get what Mr. Toudou wanted to show me. But I'm not going to pull any punches!" Tomoyuki then went on to try to pass May again.

Meanwhile, Seiji and Kyle were watching closely. Seiji said "They're here!" & Kyle said "The R34 is in front?!"

Tomoyuki then said in his head "We're coming up to the fourth winding hairpin. I will show you. In box car racing, there's this kind of bashing, too!"

May's car pushed to the outside which opened up the inside for Tomoyuki. Tomoyuki and May were now neck and neck. Tomoyuki then said "I am not pushing her hard enough to spin her. I just want to throw her off balance for a moment." Tomoyuki then passed May again. Tomoyuki then went on to say "Sorry, chump. This sort of thing happens every day in the pro racing world!"

At the top Hiroshi said "Ryousuke, please tell me. When you let May sit in the passenger seat of your FC, what kind of advice did you give her?"

Ryousuke said "I gave her no advice. I simply showed her the strategy for the course I had made based on my own run. She now races with an intuitive understanding of how her racing differs from mine."

Hiroshi then said "So then May took the strategy you'd made after you ran the course first and that's what she's racing with?"

Meanwhile, May continued to keep up with Tomoyuki. She said to herself "We're almost to the goal. If he gets away from me here, there's no way I will get a second chance." She then once again turned off her headlights.

Tomoyuki then said "That again? I won't fall for the same trick twice!"

A couple spectators thought May wasn't coming but then May zoomed by them to prove them wrong. One spectator said "WHAT THE HECK? The R34 is racing with her headlights off!"

At the top Hiroshi said "HUH? The R34's headlights are off?"

Meanwhile Tomoyuki said "There she is! She's keeping up! She's not in my mirrors, but she's definitely behind me! This is crazy! Who goes racing around a mountain road in the pitch dark with their headlights off?"

May then said "I can't look at his tail lights… Look only at the road lit up by the car in front of me! I just have to concentrate only on burning the image into my mind and superimposing the line that Ryousuke showed me."

Tomoyuki then said in his head "This is too much. To think I'd get shown up like this… You're pretty incredible. But in this last section, there's no point where you can pull out ahead. Victory is mine!"

At the top, people couldn't believe that May turned off her headlights. Ryousuke said in his head "Incredible. I didn't teach her that. It's her own original move. This is the thing about May upon which I was betting. When she's cornered and the situation becomes grim, she awakens… evolves!"

Tomoyuki saw the goal was approaching and he thought he had won for sure.

May said in her head "I won't give up! If there's any opening, I'm definitely taking it!"

Then something appeared in Tomoyuki's headlights and he slammed on the brakes which created an opening for May. May took the opportunity to pass Tomoyuki. She pulled alongside Tomoyuki and then turned her headlights back on. They were now neck and neck towards the goal. Then May pulled ahead a little bit and that was enough for her to win the race.

Afterwards, she wanted to talk to Tomoyuki. She said "Why did you yield the line just before the last corner?"

Tomoyuki said to May "Oh, there. There's no big reason. There was something in the road. I reflexively avoided it. Well, this is how it goes when luck's not on your side. Plus there was the slope of the uphill toward the goal."

May said "There was?"

Tomoyuki then said "Ah. I guess you wouldn't have seen it, huh?"

May wanted to say something but had a hard time saying something and then Tomoyuki told her she won. Then Tomoyuki said "If there is a Lady Luck out there, then you had what it takes today to move her. Today, I lost."

Tomoyuki walked away from May to talk to Mr. Toudou. He said to him "Thank you very much. I understand know what you were trying to tell me."

Toudou said "Tomo…"

Tomoyuki said "To keep your motivation as a pro high, you need to have a starting point you can go back to. Next time I'm hurt and suffering, I know now where to return to." Tomoyuki then smiled and said "I feel refreshed right now."

Toudou then said "Is that so?" He then hugged Tomoyuki.

Meanwhile Ryousuke turned his head to May. He then walked over to her. He nodded his head and May smiled at him.


	9. Act 09: A GC8 Unlike Any Other

MAY 20, 2000

TIME: AROUND 8:00 PM

May was on the top of Mount Haruna. She was lying down in her R34. She said to herself "The feeling from yesterday's race is still inside me." She remembered about the race the previous night. She then said "Granted I won, but I think Ryousuke would have had an easier time of it if he'd raced instead. When I think about it that way, there's no reason for me to even be on the team. I have to get better and better!" She then decided to take an easy drive on Haruna's downhill.

When May finished her drive, she went to Yuichi's gas station. Kenji and Max were hanging out. May then got out of her R34.

Max noticed her and said "OH, SIS!" Kenji said "You came by, eh?"

May said "Huh? Where's Drew?"

Max said "He left work early to go get his GC8 from the shop."

Then Kenji said "And tonight, he's already going to give his GC8 the old Haruna shakedown."

Max then said "Well, unfortunately for Drew, simply installing a new racing intercooler is nowhere near enough to put him in my league."

Kenji said "Anyway, May! That's awesome stuff! You beat a pro racer, right? That's an incredible feat!"

May stuttered "Yeah…"

Max said "It makes us proud, too. It's like, the racer from Haruna, making her hometown look good!"

Kenji agreed with Max. Then he said "Since joining PROJECT D, May has been improving at incredible speed, huh?"

May then said in her head "I beat a pro. It already seems so distant yet it was only yesterday. Have I really improved since joining PROJECT D?"

Then Drew pulled in with his GC8. Kenji saw Drew pull and told Max Drew was coming. Drew said "Da-da-daa! The star of today's event has arrived! YAY! It's so thrilling! She's gotten fast, my GC8!"

Drew then took May with him in his GC8 while Kenji and Max followed in Max's NSX. Then Drew floored the gas pedal and pulled away a bit from Max.

Kenji said to Max "You better watch out, Max. This could turn out to be a pretty even match."

Max said "Yeah, right. It will be no contest."

Then Drew made a sharp turn. He said to May "Did you see that, May? That was a powerslide! What a thrill! It's so awesome!"

May said "Yes, okay, now chill out."

Then another car pulled up so fast. In the interest of safety, Drew and Max let the car go by. The car then took off.

When they reached the top, Drew said "Normally, an EJ207 engine has 280 HP, but with the new intercooler it has 390 HP. It's got more than 100 HP than before! Up until now, I'd never imagined you could make your rear tires slide by going full throttle on the uphill! I'm so happy that I can't stand it!"

Kenji then said "I know the feeling. It really is a thrill after your car's just been tuned, isn't it?"

Max said to May "How was it? What was it like from the passenger seat of Drew's GC8?"

May said "It was a strange feeling. Its power output is different from that of my car. The 390 HP certainly felt powerful but…"

Then Max said "Maybe it was because of the torque. Drew's car now has more punch thanks to increased torque."

May then said "But having so much horsepower gives it a stiff underbody. It feels like the damper isn't working properly. If you're going to make a car fast, unless you get the pistons to stroke a bit more smoothly, it will feel like you can't floor the accelerator when cornering. You might even go into a drift" Then May stopped and said "Uh, did I say something strange?"

Drew said to Kenji and Max "Did you hear that just now?" Kenji said "I heard it. I'm stunned."

Max said "It could well be just as you said, sis. Drew's GC8 has a low center of gravity because of its engine. Also it has a unique setup because it's tuned like a rally car so the suspension settings are much different than the R34. You've always been bad with machinery, so it sure was a surprise to hear such precise comments coming from your mouth."

Drew walked up to May and said "You're a completely different person from before. What a shocker!"

Max then said "Well, people change with their environment. You've really come a long way, sis."

May said to Max "No way. If the staff at PROJECT D heard me talk like that, they'd laugh at me." Then she heard a loud roaring noise.

A silver S15 Silvia was coming up to the top. The guy named Kaoru stopped at the top. He then came out and said "Hey, sorry about what happened earlier. If I spot a car like that one, I just get all happy." He hopped over the guardrail on the side with May, Drew, Kenji, & Max. Kaoru then went on to say "You guys are locals, right? We came from Tokyo. There are not as many cars racing here as I expected."

Kaoru's friend, Manabu said "Yeah, I thought things would be livelier."

Max then stared at Kaoru and Manabu very seriously. Kaoru walked over to Drew's car. Kaoru said "WOW! You don't see this very often! A boxer engine. This is a GC8, eh? It's got a sweet EJ207 turbo."

Manabu said "Look at how uncluttered the engine area is. In a way, it's like new!"

Then Kaoru said "Look at this. It has a new intercooler that mounted in the front! That's dangerous, man, As in, kaboom."

Manabu then said "I wouldn't want to ride this thing! Scary…"

Drew then got a little mad. Kaoru said to them "Hey, have you guys ever raced on a circuit?"

Max said "No. There are no circuits nearby."

Kaoru moaned a bit and then said "If you all are racers, then you should be going, don't you think? I go to lots of race meets, and I've run almost all the circuits in Kanto. My car's tuned a lot stricter than for just mountain road racing." Max then got irritated and Kaoru went on to say "I hate to break it to you, but I don't think this GC8 would even place in a circuit time ranking even with this engine and new intercooler."

Drew yelled "WHAT?!"

Max said "Now look here. What kind of cars we drive has nothing to do with you. Put simply, you're being rude. I don't know how much confidence you have in your driving techniques, but if you're simply going to pass cars with less horsepower on an uphill straightaway, that doesn't require any technique at all, does it?"

Kaoru said "What's that supposed to mean? You're trying to say the downhill is different?"

Max then said "You can take it to mean anything you like, but we've had enough, and I wonder if you could please hurry up and leave."

Kaoru said "Oh, really?" Kaoru and Manabu then got in Kaoru's S15 and took off. However, he stopped a few hundred feet from where May, Drew, Kenji, and Max were.

Kenji said "This doesn't look too good, huh?"

Max said "He's just waiting until we start racing, isn't he? I'm sure he's planning some obvious ambush to race us."

Kenji then said "This is no joke! If he's going to screw with us like that, we can't just sit back and take it!"

Drew said "YEAH! Talking all that stupid talk… There's no way we'll lose on the downhill!"

Max said to Drew "That's right. Let's show him the true power of the Gunma area!" Kenji agreed with Max.

The guys then stared at May who was really nervous. She then said "You want me to do it? I can't! I'm just not up for it today."

Kenji then said "True, we wouldn't want to force the ace driver of PROJECT D to do some boring little race."

Max said "Yeah, I guess not." Max looked at saw that Kaoru's S15 had not moved. Then he said "All right, I WILL DO IT!"

Drew screamed and said "This isn't like you, Max. Such determination!"

Max then said "But in return…" Then he looked at May and clapped his hands together. He then said "Please, sis. Let me use your insurance!" May was shocked to hear what her brother said to her.

Meanwhile, Kaoru said to Manabu "There's no way I'm going to forgive those guys and after I tried to engage them in friendly conversation, I have to teach them a lesson!"

Then Manabu told Kaoru "AH! They started racing!"

Max flew by in his NSX. Then Kaoru took off to race Max.

While chasing Max, Kaoru said "I don't care if it's uphill or downhill, I've honed my skills at race meets and on the circuit and there's no way I'm going to lose!"

In Max's NSX, Kenji saw Kaoru catching up. He said "HEY! Sure enough, he came after us!"

Max told Kenji said "I am feeling the rush! It's been a while since I've raced!"

Max tried to get away from Kaoru. Then Manabu said to Kaoru "These local racers are better than we thought, huh?"

Kaoru said "I guess. He's got pretty good corner entry, this NSX. Even though he has a powerful engine and lightweight body, it will be a snap to beat him. I've got confidence in my driving techniques again! I sure was fast, huh?" He then laughed a bit and said "I think I was quite cool, too!"

Meanwhile, May was driving Drew's GC8 with Drew in the passenger seat. Drew was screaming loud. He said "MAY! I'm sorry to interrupt, but do you mind if I ask you something?"

May said "Yeah. What do you want to ask?"

Drew said "Do you think what that fat guy in the S15 said is true, that the GC8 is hard to drive?"

May said "I don't know. It's really different from my R34 because your car is lighter and has 4WD, which threw me off at first. It's just a matter of getting used to it, isn't it? You should drive the way that works with the car." May then drifted at the next corner.

Drew said in his head "INCREDIBLE! This is no kind of car handling that I know!"

Then May said "I don't think Max will be able to get away. He has good corner entry at the parts of the course he's used to, but watching them from behind, his opponent has more stability when exiting, and good traction, too. However Max also has good traction because his NSX is mid-engine which gives the car better weight distribution and better corner exit. But there wouldn't be that much of a difference from just racing techniques. The big difference is in their cars' performance."

Drew then said "Are you really May?!" He then said in his head "She's grinding the gears too much! This isn't the same May! Definitely not!"

Then May said "This is bad. My brother is going to be passed."

Drew then said "Are you serious?!"

May then said "At the straight line just before the corner."

Meanwhile, Max was trying his best not to let Kaoru pass him but Kaoru passed him. Then Kaoru pulled away, which got Max really mad. He said "DAMN IT! It's no good!"

Kaoru said "Fool! It didn't take long to finish him off. He can't keep up with me! I've got circuit-use full braking!" Kaoru then braked hard for the next corner and started to powerslide. Kaoru then said to Manabu "Awesome, huh? A full braking corner entry taken at maximum speed. There's definitely no way he can keep up!"

Then May started to catch up to Kaoru. Manabu said "He's right behind us!" & Kaoru said "He's got some nerve driving an NSX! If he thinks he can keep up with me, he's sadly mistaken!"

Meanwhile, Max dropped back. He said "I can't keep up. I can't believe my C32B V6 with 335 HP could be outrun a highly-tuned SR20DET. Unbelievable. It's just an S15!"

May tried her best to keep up with Kaoru's S15. As Kaoru braked for the next corner, May closed in fast.

Kaoru couldn't believe that May was behind him. He said in his head "I thought I'd pulled away, but he's right up to my rear bumper! My braking, honed on the circuit, is losing to some racer who has only done the mountain pass?! This is impossible! It can't be! There's no way this can be happening!"

Then Manabu said to Kaoru "Um, if you look closely, the car behind us isn't an NSX after-"

Kaoru yelled "Sorry, but can you not talk to me for a little while? I can't concentrate."

Manabu said "You're going to do that, huh?"

Kaoru said "I am." Kaoru then took a deep breath and said "I have to concentrate 100%! Not yet… Hold it…" When Kaoru saw the corner he screamed "NOW! Here we go! Ultimate technique: Transcendent Ultra Superlative Braking!"

Then May passed Kaoru and used the gutter technique she used in her races at Haruna. Once she passed Kaoru, she pulled away, which shocked Kaoru and Manabu. Kaoru slowed down but didn't realize the right side of the car was not on the road. Manabu screamed "WE'RE GOING TO CRASH!"

The next day at the gas station, Drew, & Max were talking about what happened the previous night. Max said "Those guys sure got what they deserved yesterday."

Drew said "That's right!"

Max then said "Anyway, May has been getting better and better since joining PROJECT D, huh?"

Drew then said "She's gotten, how can you put it? Like, at different points, she'll make the car move in ways you wouldn't have thought possible. And that May, her face won't change a bit. She just grips the wheel all cool and collected."

Max said "She's probably confident that she's in complete control."

Drew said "Seeing that, it makes you think there's no way you'll ever see May lose on Haruna's downhill, huh?"

Max laughed and said "You said it!"

Meanwhile, May was home. She was on the phone with Ash. She said "You should have seen me drive Drew's GC8 last night at Haruna. I showed a punk from Tokyo what really racing is after he ridiculed Drew's car."

Ash said "I could only imagine. What that proves to me is that you can drive any car regardless of layout. By the way, how was the new intercooler?"

May said "It was awesome. I had almost no turbo lag. When I shifted it gave me an extra power boost."

Ash then said "Nice! Listen, I have to hang up. Hiroshi wants me to go over the setup for the next race. Talk to you later." May then hung up.

Meanwhile at a diner in Saitama Prefecture, a girl named Yuka was talking to Kylie Iwase. Yuka said "And then we talk for like three hours every night, so my phone bills are all expensive! We're so in love! Hey! Are you listening, Kylie?"

Kylie said "Yes, I'm listening."

Yuka then said "I swear, you were thinking about cars again, right? You'll never be able to get yourself a boyfriend like that."

Kylie then said "Until I find someone I really like, I don't need a boyfriend. Racing carts is a lot more fun than hooking up with some guy who happens to be available."

Yuka said "So, what kind of person are you after?"

Kylie said "Ideally, someone whose car is a rotary engine like mine, but he definitely has to be faster than me and he has to be cool, even cooler than my lovely FD."

Yuka said "What the heck is that? You're using a car as your standard?"

Kylie said "I believe that one day I will meet him for sure… my darling!"

The next day, Keisuke was on a highway driving Hiroshi. Hiroshi said "Sorry about this, Keisuke. Scouting the course is supposed to be Kenta's job."

Keisuke said "That's fine. I've got nothing else to do."

A few minutes later at Sadamine pass, Kylie parked her black FD in a parking lot for a bar-be-cue restaurant. When she got out she noticed something.

Meanwhile, Keisuke had a camcorder in his hand when Hiroshi saw Kylie. Hiroshi said "Looks like she's looking for something. Maybe what we saw before?"

Then Keisuke got out of his FD and walked over to Kylie. He said "Excuse me. Are you looking for a silver cell phone?"

Kylie said "Yes, that's right."

Keisuke said "We found it in a corner of the parking lot a little while ago and turned it in to the guy at the shop there."

Kylie blushed and felt embarrassed. She then said "I am sort of clumsy and am always doing this. I put it in the door's side pocket, and it can fall out when I open the door. I came here to race last night, so…" Kylie then stuttered.

Keisuke then said "You should go get it soon."

Kylie said "OKAY!" Then she got excited and said in her head "What is this feeling? I've got pins and needles. It feels like I've been struck by lightning. Maybe I have met him… MY DARLING!"


	10. Act 10: Fateful Battle of the FDs

MAY 21, 2000

TIME- AROUND 9:00 PM

At Sadamine pass in Saitama Dawn, Paul, & Zoey were having a conversation. Paul said "Hey Zoey, did you hear?"

Zoey said "Yeah. They say they're coming… PROJECT D."

Paul then asked "What do you want to do? It's kind of scary, huh?"

Zoey said "Why? There's nothing to be scared about, right?"

Paul said "Really?"

Zoey then said "I am incredibly curious. I raced against both their racers last year and they're pretty good. I'm happy they're even coming here to our home course." Then she turned her head to Kylie and said "Right, Kylie?"

Kylie was zoning out. She remembered about what happened earlier in the day when she met Keisuke. Then Zoey started to call her name. Nobuhiko said "Were you even listening? This time we're going up against PROJECT D!"

Then Zoey said "And I say we have the uphill covered. You're our team's ace, Kylie."

Kylie said "Okay, understood. I will get myself focused and race. Just leave the uphill to me."

Zoey then said "You want me to tell you about their team's uphill ace?"

Kylie said "No, that's fine. I can concentrate better if I don't hear too many details." She then walked over to her FD. She then said in her head "But I'm just going to run my race." She then took her FD for a little practice run.

Meanwhile at the parking lot, Dawn said "Once my sister gets serious about racing she becomes a completely different person. She gets fired up and wants to practice hard to beat her opponent."

Zoey said "That's Kylie's style. She loves to race. By the way, Dawn, how is your new supercharger in your Eight-Six?"

Dawn said "It's great. It's better than before. I feel like no one can beat me on the downhill, not even to PROJECT D's R34 GT-R! Even since you told me about her, I have been waiting for the day to race her."

Meanwhile, Kylie was driving hard. She took a corner a little wide and nearly hit the guardrail. She was daydreaming about Keisuke. She then slowed down. She then said in her head "It's no good. The race is tomorrow, but I'm just not into it. I can't get pumped up the way I usually do."

In the mean time, PROJECT D was arriving to Sadamine. Keisuke was leading followed by May and then the vans.

At the parking lot, Zoey was on the phone. She said "Okay. Got it." Zoey hung up and said to Kylie "That was our people in the parking lot down below. They're finally here, Kylie."

Kylie nodded and then stared at her engine. She said in her head "Something feels strange about the engine. Maybe it's just my imagination." She then closed the hood and said in her mind "Just for today and tomorrow, I have to concentrate and think only about the race. I definitely don't want to lose, no matter what kind of opponent I'm up against."

Meanwhile, Keisuke was doing a test run on the uphill. A couple of minutes later, PROJECT D arrived at the parking lot where Dawn, Kylie, Zoey, & Paul were. Kylie was shocked to see Keisuke's FD. When Keisuke got out of his car, Kylie was shocked more. Zoey walked over and said to Kylie "That yellow FD is PROJECT D's uphill ace, Keisuke Takahashi. He's the guy you will race against tomorrow."

Kylie started to pant and said with a uneasy voice "Keisuke Takahashi…"

Zoey asked Kylie "What's wrong? Are you scared? It couldn't be! He's got an FD, same as you. The way you race, you can hold your head high anywhere you go. Be confident and show them how it's done."

Kylie started to shiver and started to say in her head "Keisuke Takahashi. I don't know what I should do. I never thought it would turn out this way. How could we have met like this?"

Hiroshi then came over and said "Very well, we shall now start our practice runs." Zoey agreed to Hiroshi's plan.

Ryousuke walked over to May and Keisuke and said "Okay then, let's begin. Five runs at 80%. A word of warning: your usual tactics will not be applicable here, especially for you, Keisuke. It was to prove you with strict training that I chose this course. Give it your all."

Keisuke said "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

Then Minoru told Keisuke "Preparations are complete!" Ash said "All good here, too." May and Keisuke then took off in their cars for their practice runs.

Zoey then said "Those two cars are incredible. It's a thrill just to look at them."

Dawn said "Hey, quit talking like you're a spectator! Those are the guys we'll be racing tomorrow!"

Paul then asked "What do you plan to do now, Zoey?"

Zoey said "I will stay here and watch them until tomorrow. I already took the day off from work. A chance like this almost never comes along. I will have them give a nice, long look at the tactics they come up with for our home course." She went to stand next to her 911 and then she said in her head "And after that, I will come up with a strategy of my own. I have seen PROJECT D's racers race before and they're incredible. But the really incredible one is the guy giving out the orders. But I'm going to find out how to hit them where it hurts!"

Meanwhile and May and Keisuke were doing their practice runs. Keisuke said in his head "This course is sort of hard to run!"

A little later, Keisuke talked with Hiroshi. He said "It's really terrible, Fumihiro. There are all these cracks and ripples in the asphalt and they set off sparks, like in the old F1 races. I raised the car more than usual and tried a couple of different configurations, but nothing really does the trick."

Hiroshi said "That's how it looks. May also seems to be having a hard time with the suspension as well. She told me it's really rough and she can't find a good setup for the suspension. More to the point, did you notice, Keisuke?"

Keisuke said "Notice what?"

Hiroshi then said "There was a girl in a black FD when we came to scout the course before, right? She was there with the group we'll be racing."

Keisuke said "I didn't notice that."

Hiroshi then went on to say "she watched you going out in your FD with an intensely serious look on her face. That girl couldn't possibly be their uphill ace, right?"

Keisuke then said "You wouldn't think it, but that might be the case. After all, she's driving an FD. Anyway, I could care less who their uphill ace is. I think my real opponent will be this course."

The next morning, Kylie was with Dawn at a diner. Dawn said "That's awesome! It's like a fateful encounter!"

Kylie said "There's nothing awesome about it. I just want to run away, sis."

Dawn then said "Why? A chance like this almost never comes along!"

Kylie said "Chance?"

Dawn said "That's right! You've got the same hobby, so no matter if you win or lose, it's still a great chance for you two to get friendly, right?"

Kylie said "It is?"

Dawn said "Yes, of course! You definitely have to do this, sis. If you show him how a driver you are, he's bound to get interested in you, too. You can't let him get away. This is your chance!"

That night, Zoey said "I stuck around yesterday and kept a close eye on them until dawn, and sure enough, these guys are top-class, especially the girl in the R34. She's already beyond street-racer level. I know what she's like because I raced her last year at Shomaru Pass." Then Zoey walked over to Dawn and said "Dawn, you're our downhill ace. You're the only downhill racer in our team that can race against her. Your supercharged Eight-Six can do well against a highly-tuned R34 GT-R. I am pinning all of this on the uphill and when it comes to the uphill, we have Kylie on our team."

Kylie nodded and Zoey then said "Depending on your approach, it will be possible for you to pull out in front of him. That's why I've thought up a strategy. I'm counting on you, Kylie."

Kylie then said "Just leave it to me. I'm feeling extremely motivated right now." She then took her FD out for a practice run. While she was boosting up her turbo, the car then started to slow down and she had to stop.

Keisuke was coming really fast and saw that Kylie had stopped. He stopped to avoid crashing into her. He got out of his car and said "What's wrong? It's not working?"

Kylie stuttered and said "I was racing and all of a sudden it lost power."

Keisuke said "With no warning?"

Kylie said "No, not like that. It has felt strange since the day before yesterday. I thought maybe it was just my imagination, but the power clearly cut out just now. I got scared, so I pulled over."

Keisuke then said "Say, you… Are you supposed to the uphill today?"

Kylie said "I was, but at this rate-"

Keisuke said "What a disappointment. It's like I got the short end of the stick, too. You have the same FD, and it looked pretty fast, so I was looking forward to this. If your car felt even a little off, why didn't you check it out while it was still daylight? If you think you can win without giving your machine the proper maintenance, I'm shocked. Racing someone with a half-assed attitude like that is a waste of time!" Keisuke walked back to his FD and drove off. Kylie then shed some tears.

At the top Dawn said "My sister's FD has stopped?"

Paul said "I heard it was pulled over with the hood popped up."

Dawn said "It broke down?! What do we do now, Zoey?"

Zoey said "For now, let's just go see."

Meanwhile Kylie said in her head "This is pathetic. Why couldn't I listen properly to what my FD was telling me? Like an idiot, I went up anyway, and this is how it turns out? This is terrible. And I was so excited! From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to race that man! Everything's ruined. He completely hates me." Then she heard a noise. One of the PROJECT D vans came over.

Keisuke rolled down the window and told Kylie "Hey, your car can still run, right? Quit spacing out and make a U-turn."

They took the car to a parking area. Minoru said to Keisuke "As I thought, a pipe has slipped off. The intercooler hose has probably deteriorated."

Keisuke asked "Can you fix it?"

Minoru said "I think I can manage something. I brought a whole range of parts for this section."

Keisuke then said "Okay, do it. On the double!" Keisuke and Minoru then started to fix Kylie's FD.

Meanwhile at another parking lot, May asked Hiroshi "Can it be fixed?"

Hiroshi said "Probably. He brought the whole minivan full of parts. That's just like Keisuke, all right." Hiroshi turned his head and said "Hey, Ryousuke? You said you chose this course to give Keisuke some strict training, but you meant that seriously and not as a joke, right?"

Ryousuke said "It was serious. He has mastered aggressive full-throttle acceleration, but sometimes that alone lends itself to too many victories. He also tends to prefer clean courses, so this place will be more than a handful. A fiery fighting spirit matched with pedal work delicate and cold as ice… That's Keisuke's current assignment!"

Meanwhile, Paul said "She's not here. That's strange." Then Zoey heard a roaring noise.

At the area where Kylie's FD was getting fixed, Keisuke revved up the car. He then said "The boost is working perfectly. This won't let you complain about not having power!"

Kylie said "Um, I really don't know what to say…"

Keisuke said "That's fine. There's no need to say thanks or anything. Just return the sentiment in our race." Then Zoey and the others came. Keisuke told Minoru "All right, let's move out." Keisuke and Minoru left.

Zoey came over to Kylie and said "Well, he sort of got us there."

Paul said "He may be our rival, but that was too cool!"

Kylie said in her head "I like him… I like him so much! I can't control myself!"

At the bottom of the mountain, Zoey said to Kylie "You want to take the lead?"

Kylie nodded yes. Then Zoey said "It's good that you're going on the offensive, but tactics-wise, I wonder if it wouldn't be better for you to come from behind for the first race. As far as I can tell, their guy in the FD isn't used to this kind of course."

Kylie said "I am sorry, but please let me do this my way. I'm determined to take the lead!"

Before the race started, Kylie said "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kylie Iwase."

Keisuke said "I am Keisuke Takahashi of PROJECT D." Then they both got in their FD3S RX-7s.

As Keisuke walked over to his FD, Ryousuke said "I have just one word of advice. If something strikes you as odd in the middle of the race, remember this: Your opponent drives a single turbo."

Keisuke said in his head "What is that? I don't even know what it even means!"

Then Ryousuke told Hiroshi to begin the race. Keisuke then got strapped in. Hiroshi then started to count down. When he said go, the two FDs took off. They started off slow.

Meanwhile, Paul said "Say, Zoey, what was the real strategy you thought up for Kylie?"

Zoey said "That doesn't matter anymore. I could talk and lecture, but Kylie is the type who will race only out of pure motivation. She probably felt indebted to him for fixing her car, so she wanted to attack him head-on without resorting to cheap tricks. That's Kylie's way."

Meanwhile, Kylie and Keisuke were now picking up the pace. Keisuke saw what Kylie was doing. He said in his head "She's good. She's really good… But why? Is she enough of an opponent to really make me struggle? I don't get it. Am I racing that badly or are my car's settings off?" Keisuke's rear slid a bit but he recovered. He then said in his head "Calm down… Don't get riled up. Just stay cool. This has only just started!" Keisuke then started to push his car a little more.

Meanwhile Kylie said in her head "It's strange. Tackling the mountain pass has never felt so fulfilling before. Even though, no matter what I try, I could never beat him. I just want him to see. To watch me now, and see the best racing I'm capable of! That's why I chose to race in front! Right now, I'm the only thing he's paying attention to and that's enough to make me happy! Watch me, darling! This is who I am!"

Keisuke watched Kylie and was amazed at her skill. He said "I am shocked. She's fast! I didn't think too much of her because she's a girl, but I was completely off. And knowing that, I'm starting over again and giving this race my all! I don't plan on being beaten by someone with the same 13B. Let's go, my 13B turbo! Roar for me!"

At the bottom of the pass, Hiroshi was on the phone. He said "I see." He hung up and said "This is a surprise. Now it's apparently an even fight."

Ryousuke said "It has long been theory that single turbo engines can attain sudden explosive power when pushed past a certain RPM threshold, but modern turbines are highly functional and will operate rapidly even when there is little back pressure. The type of power generation is well suited to this course, no doubt making the car easier to drive. The person who worked on it knew this course inside and out, was quite clever. By comparison, Keisuke's FD is a twin turbo. Its method of power output is not suited for this course. That acts as a handicap, meaning that at present, this is an even race."

Hiroshi then said "If you knew all that, couldn't you have given us a little hint during the practice runs so we could've done something with the car's settings?"

Ryousuke said "No. To have to rely upon power settings is to be unfit to be a driver in PROJECT D. I told you that Keisuke's assignment in this race had to do with accelerator handling. The road's surface is in poor condition, resulting in limited traction and making it the ideal stage for training in accelerator handling."

Keisuke then heard a weird noise from his car.

Meanwhile, Ryousuke went on to say "If we were to assign a level of five in terms of maximum acceleration that Keisuke can currently control, ideally, that will become doubled to level 10. I underwent the same training myself, long ago."

Meanwhile, Keisuke said in his head "The space between us opens up a bit in the straightaways. Does she have more power than me? If so, then why is she so stable when coming out of corners? No matter how you look at it, I should have more acceleration power, but I'm having a hard time with this. Am I just that bad a driver? I don't get it, big brother! You said she has a single turbo, but what does that mean? What's different between a single turbo and a twin turbo?!" Keisuke then tried to focus on the race. He then said in his head "Even if we step on the gas at the same point, she moves smoothly while I slide out too much. No matter how you look at it, I'm putting more load on the tires. Now what do I do? Delay my acceleration timing? No, that won't work. I will fall behind. It's not the acceleration points I have to change; it's the way I accelerate! Maybe I need to be more delicate. Up until now, I've been steeping down about 2 centimeters. If I do half of that, one centimeter. Take a breath; hold it, one more centimeter. I'm still stepping too much. DAMN IT! This is so hard! This is the first time I've tried this kind of delicate accelerator handling!" Keisuke now pushed his car even harder.

Kylie however was doing her best to pull away from Keisuke. While racing, she said in her head "Incredible. I'm tingling! I can feel his gaze on my back, so much that it hurts! Right now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, my darling and I are in our own private world! It's wonderful. I don't want it to end. I want to keep racing like this forever!"

Keisuke said in his head "This is a strange feeling. Something is different from my normal races. What is this strange peaceful sensation? I was so wound up and full of tension, but now…" He then let his car rev up more and let the turbo give him more power.

Kylie then said in her head "We're almost to the goal already. If I keep going like this, we'll enter the second race." Then Kylie hit a bump in the road which caused the car to slightly lose control.

Then Keisuke said "That's it! I get it now, brother! That's a single turbo's weak point! Pitiful… I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I realize it sooner?!" Keisuke pulled up to the rear of Kylie's bumper which shocked Kylie.

Keisuke then said in his head "She's definitely fast when she's running smoothly, but if her racing gets thrown off even momentarily, it makes her vulnerable. I can't be sure, but I think a single turbo is probably a peaky engine!"

Then Keisuke hit the right side of Kylie's rear bumper and Keisuke then was able to pas Kylie.

Keisuke then said "She didn't step on the gas and her boost pressure dropped! YES! The twin turbo has a little time lag and now is when it does its thing!"

Kylie saw Keisuke trying to pass her. She didn't want him to pass her but Keisuke passed her easily. Once he was clear, he pulled away which got Kylie sad and upset.


	11. Act 11: Rainy Downhill Challenge

Last time, Keisuke just beat Kylie Iwase of The Northwestern Saitama Alliance. Now it was May's turn to race on Sadamine pass. She would be racing The Northwestern Saitama Alliance's downhill specialist, Dawn Iwase in her red Eight-Six Levin.

Keisuke said to May "Good luck. I know this Eight-Six is really tough. Hiroshi told me about her. She knows this downhill and everything about it. Do your best."

May said "Thanks, Keisuke. However I'm looking at the clouds. It looks like it could rain."

Keisuke said "Now that you mentioned it. I think it might rain."

Meanwhile Zoey went to talk with Dawn. She said "Uh oh. We might have rain coming. That could be bad."

Dawn said to Zoey "Why could rain be bad?"

Zoey said to Dawn "The rain will make the surface slicker. Plus there will be less grip on the road. Your Eight-Six might be able to race okay since it's lighter than May's R34 but I can't guarantee victory."

Dawn said in her head "I have never seen Zoey so concerned. Is it because of what happened to my sister in the uphill race? Anyway, I can't let it get to me. My supercharged Eight-Six is the fastest on Sadamine's downhill and I plan on winning."

At one of the PROJECT D vans, Hiroshi was talking with Ash. Hiroshi said "Looks like there's rain in the area. That will make this course more treacherous with the slick surface."

Ash said "Yeah. Their Eight-Six might handle the conditions better than May's R34 because it's lighter weight and can recover quicker."

Hiroshi then said "Not only that, that Eight-Six is supercharged. It has close to 350 HP."

Ash told Hiroshi "Man, May will really have her hands full in this race."

Meanwhile, Dawn got in her car. She got buckled up and then Kylie walked over to talk with her. Kylie said "Listen up, Dawn. It's going to rain so you must keep your cool. I know you race well in the rain but don't be reckless."

Dawn said "Thanks, sis. Never in my life have I have been so pumped. I feel the adrenaline rushing through my body. However the rain might make this race really difficult."

As soon as May and Dawn lined up their cars, it started to rain. Hiroshi said "This is bad, Ryousuke. With this heavy rain, the conditions will be worse than the uphill race."

Ryousuke said "I know May can pull this off. I told her to practice in the rain on Mount Haruna whenever possible because I knew there might be a time where rain could be a big factor in the race. However we didn't practice in the rain so there are a lot of unknowns. May will have to be patient in order to make a move."

May then got in her car and got buckled up. Ash walked over to her and said "Listen, I adjusted the suspension a bit to better handle the rain."

Ryousuke then said in his head "With this rain, it makes it more difficult to race on this pass. I know May is a great racer but she will have her hands full not just with the rain but also her opponent's supercharged Eight-Six."

For the race, Dawn would lead and May would follow. Once the cars were ready, Zoey started the countdown. She went "5! 4! 3! 2! 1! GO!" Dawn and May started and raced to the first corner.

Dawn was able to pull away a little. May noticed Dawn's speed and said to herself "She's fast! She's so incredibly fast!"

Meanwhile at the top, Kenta said "WOW! That Eight-Six took off like a rocket! What speed!"

Keisuke said to himself "A normal Eight-Six isn't fast but the girl May's racing must have put some serious cash into it with a supercharger. She must have done some serious tuning to make her car that fast!"

Meanwhile Dawn continued to hold her lead over May. She said to herself "This car is awesome! My supercharged 4A-GZE engine can outrun many highly tuned engines with a higher displacement and more cylinders. Plus the car is light weight thanks to the carbon fibre hood Kylie found for me. Not only that, these Bridgestone tires handle the road so well in wet or dry conditions. I know my opponent has an RB26DETT engine producing over 500 HP but her car's heavier and not as easy to handle in the rain."

May was finding it difficult to see in the rain and more difficult to drift through the corners.

Meanwhile at the top, Keisuke walked over to talk with Zoey. Keisuke said "What trick do you have up your sleeve with that Eight-Six & its supercharged engine?"

Zoey said "When you put it like that, it sounds as if you realize just how dangerous it is."

Keisuke turned his head, put his right foot on the guardrail and said "I guess."

Then Zoey went on to say "Not that I should be telling this to you, the enemy, but ever if we beat the R34 using that car, it will only make me halfway happy. To be honest, being able to defeat the R34 like this, in a place like this… it's a little painful."

Keisuke said "Don't automatically assume she will lose. We won't know how it'll turn out until it's over."

Zoey then said "No, I know. Sadly, this time there's no way she can win."

Keisuke told Zoey "I told you not to assume that, didn't I? If you look at just car vs. car, the chances of the R34 winning do look slim but what's driving that car is a flesh-and-blood human being. In a contest between driver and driver, there's no telling what will happen."

Zoey said "Are you trying to say our driver is no good? Dawn's skills are solid. She won't make any slipups."

Keisuke then said "That's not what I mean. You don't understand just how incredible she is. It's not logic. If you were on the same team as us, you'd understand. There are geniuses in this world that can break the boundaries of convention." Zoey got a bit mad at Keisuke. Then Keisuke said "It stings, but I know that it's true. Anyway, you just watch." Keisuke then walked away.

Meanwhile Dawn was thinking about her decision to go first. She remembered what she said to Zoey before the race. She said "I know Sadamine's downhill in the back of my brain. I've practiced here every day come rain or shine. I know I can end the race in the first round."

Zoey said "My thoughts exactly. You drive the downhill like no one else. Do your best."

Meanwhile May remembered what Ryousuke told her before the race. Ryousuke said "May, I think you'll understand once the race begins, but that car will be shockingly fast. You will probably fall behind at corners & have to catch up on the straightaways. This will be completely unlike any race you have yet fought."

May caught up to Dawn but when the next corner came, she lost ground. Then she remembered the advice Ryousuke gave her. Ryousuke said was "Try to remember the hardest race you have run. Recall the technique that you found most disagreeable, for today, you will perform that technique. Don't forget that having a completely different mindset will the key to winning this battle." May tried her best to not let Dawn pull away from her.

At the top, Ash was talking to Ryousuke. Ash said "Ryousuke, the way you gave May advice is slightly different from before, isn't it?"

Ryousuke said in surprise "It is?"

Ash said "It's changed. How can I put this? It used to be simpler, more concrete. And concise, a "Do this like this" sort of thing. But today's was a little difficult, or rather… It made May think for herself and make her own choice. That's the kind of advice it's become."

Ryousuke then said "It's an indicator of how much May has improved, Ash. I seek to provide Keisuke and May with tasks during their PROJECT D battles."

Then Ash said "I had sort of a vague feeling. I wondered if that was the case. It's thanks to those tasks that May has become able to advance as much as she has in such a short period of time."

Ryousuke said in a worried voice "But this time, I may have gone a little too far. Considering her opponent, not everything will go according to plan. The hurdle I've placed before May could have been too high."

Meanwhile in the battle, Dawn kept her lead steady over May. May said in her head "I don't get it. This has never happened before, not once. It's hard to do this. Really hard!" May then took the next corner but lost a little ground to Dawn. May started to get frustrated. She said in her head "What should I do?! Not being able to take a corner at the same speed as the car in front of me… That's the first time this has ever happened!"

Dawn drifted at the next corner but May chose not to and May lost a little more ground to Dawn.

At the top Kenta said to Keisuke "I still don't really understand…"

Keisuke said "How much does May's R34 weigh?"

Kenta said "I want to say around 1150 kilograms."

Keisuke said "That sounds about right. But the Eight-Six weighs even less than that, probably around 900 kilograms. That's a difference of 250 kilograms. You know that the difficulty in controlling a car is relative to its weight, yes? You're shackled by the car's inertial mass."

Kenta then said "So that 250 kilo difference gives the Eight-Six the advantage?"

Keisuke said "No amount of tuning can beat light weight."

Then Kenta said nervously "Then this race is…"

Keisuke said "I am telling you, don't assume the outcome before it has happened! May can't be measured by normal standards."

Meanwhile May tried her best to keep up with Dawn and her Eight-Six.

Dawn said to herself "In the friction ratio for the contact surface between the road and tires, a lower MU value will greatly affect whether one under- or overshoots when cornering. It'd be fine if the car were to consistently remain neutral, but that sort of car doesn't exist. In that case! Rather than understeer, which can't be controlled, one should seek from the start to create controllable oversteer. That's how I do things! Still, she's done a good job at keeping up. Even when it looks like I can shake her off, I can't. Rain takes getting used to. To be honest, it's scary even for me. Nobody knows exactly how best to merge to safely avoid crashing. That girl knows it's more dangerous for her, yet she keeps coming after me. You can keep walking that razor's edge until the very end!"

May continued to keep up with Dawn. She tried everything to stay with Dawn and not let her get away.

At the top, Ryousuke said to Ash "For this race, it was only the day before yesterday that I received specific information regarding what tactics our opponents would use. To be honest, I thought perhaps we'd be in trouble. This mistake is on me."

Ash aid "Mistake? Even you make mistakes?"

Ryousuke then said "Frequently. I bluff my way through it, but inside I'm on pins and needles. However, this time luck is on my side. An uncertainty that no one could have calculated may cancel out my mistake."

Ash said "An uncertainty?"

Meanwhile May continued to push hard and not let Dawn get away. She said to herself "I don't understand the meaning of Ryousuke's advice. The methods of Kyle Sudou of Team Emperor? What were they again? Ryousuke said to catch up on the straightaways, but that's impossible. WHAT DO I DO? There's no way to beat an opponent you can't even catch up to!"

At the top, Ryousuke told Ash "The uncertainty was this rain."

Ash said "So you think the rain will give May the advantage? But that goes against popular theory. Rain reduces the MU of the road's surface, and if the tires' grip weakens uncontrollably, a major handicap will become even greater. I think that would be the standard conclusion."

Ryousuke then said "You're overlooking something. That theory holds true for a midday race at someplace like a circuit but nighttime on a rainy mountain pass is a different story. In conditions such as those, the emphasis shifts from the car to the driver. Also, the X factor, or ability beyond that of mere driving techniques, is called into play."

Ash said "X factor?"

Ryousuke said "Therein lies our chance. This rain will change the hurdle I thought too high to just the right height and is the uncertainty of which I spoke. Perhaps this rain is a blessing, made to fall by the powerful luck that May possesses."

May continued to not let Dawn pull away. She said to herself "I can close the gap a bit on the latter half of the straightaways. Does that mean that at least on extended straightaways, I have the advantage? This really is a first. Winning in power but losing at cornering… It's sort of pitiful. This is stressing me out. To think, having no choice but to battle it out on a mountain downhill straightaway! The way she moves so effortlessly gets me more and more pissed off! Whatever it takes, I want to catch up and put the pressure on her!" Then May realized what Ryousuke meant by the methods of Kyle Sudou. Then May said in her head "He meant Kyle's specialty technique, no doubt about it. I'm going to have to close the gap to pull it off. Just watch, I WILL CATCH UP TO YOU!"

At the top, Ryousuke and Ash got in one of the PROJECT D vans. Ash started the van up. Meanwhile Paul said "Okay, understood. Thank you." & went on to say to Zoey "They've just passed the road cut hairpin. There's a 10-15 meter gap between them." Ryousuke and Ash then took off in the van.

Zoey said in her head "I don't understand it. May's R34 being able to keep up with Dawn's Eight-Six this far is most unusual." Then the wind picked up and almost blew everyone's umbrellas. Then Zoey said to herself "In my simulations, this event was impossible. Was the rain not to our advantage after all?" If the race can't be settled at the decisive, steeply inclined section, the gently inclined mid- to high-speed section in the latter half will be worrisome." They Zoey said out loud "I miscalculated. The capabilities of the R34's driver can't be calculated. They've upset what was thought to be a 100% probability of victory."

Meanwhile, May continued to pursue Dawn with everything she had. May said to herself "I get it. The R34's whole body is telling me. The slight sensation of the tires slipping as they grip wet asphalt… It's almost palpable! I feel like with this car, I can even know how much rain is flowing on the asphalt. I can definitely catch up to her! I will have once chance, tow at the most to set up a counterattack."

Much farther back in the van, Ryousuke and Ash were driving along. Ash said "There's one thing that has me anxious. The first thing that comes to mind about Kyle Sudou from Team Emperor is a counterattack. I should know firsthand from my race with him nearly 2 years ago."

Ryousuke said "I agree."

Then Ash said "I am worried what sort of judgment May will make with her mind so confused because a counterattack would be a mistake."

Ryousuke said "Exactly. True to form, you understand. A counterattack is 100% doomed to failure."

Meanwhile May tried her best to keep up with Dawn. Dawn then said in her head "She's gaining on me! Zoey's 911 couldn't keep up with this R34. I don't get it! How can she be this fast in the rain? Even I'm struggling, searching for grip on front tires that can't be relied upon. I can't do any more than this! It's scaring even me!"

Meanwhile, towards the finish line, Paul and Kylie were in Paul's Mustang. Paul said to Kylie "Man, this rain sure is terrible. Even a Formula 1 racer with godlike technique would spin out in the rain and fly right out of the course. That proves how difficult rain is when racing. How it falls can change each and every racing condition and there's no telling when it'll stop. One mistake on this narrow road and it's game over. Even so, you have to pull yourself together and go on the offensive, or you lose. It's a continuous battle between fear and motivation, especially on the downhill. It takes 10 times more out of you than a normal race."

Meanwhile, May continued to put pressure on Dawn which got Dawn a bit mad. She then said in her head "I feel sick. She keeps gaining on me. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Then May said in her head "I think this was how it played out, Ash's race against Kyle Sudou at Irohazaka." May and Dawn braked for the next corner. Then May said in her head "When your opponent has better cornering speed, you have to abandon the corner attack. Slow down, quickly change the car's direction, then speed up the acceleration timing! I have to spend just a little more time stepping on the gas."

At the bottom of the hill, Keisuke said "There's something I just can't accept. This "Shame and reputation be damned, I came to win! Attitude really ticks me off."

Hiroshi said "Because on the downhill, being light is an incredible weapon."

Keisuke then said "But I couldn't stand losing to these guys! If we lose, I will kick May in the ass so hard, she'll be begging for mercy."

Hiroshi said "That's just like you, Keisuke. Anyway, there's no mistaking we're in a tight situation. My only hope is that there is some reason Ryousuke wished for this rain. If we can at least make it to the midpoint, there may be hope. If May makes it to the bottom, the roads are not too steep and there are long, straight lines."

Keisuke said "Ironic, isn't it?"

Hiroshi said "You said it."


	12. Act 12: The Straightaway of Struggles

Previously, May continued to battle Dawn Iwase at Sadamine Pass in Saitama. The rain poured harder than ever as the two girls battled to the bottom of the hill. The two drifted through a hairpin and tried controlling their cars while doing so. May began to catch a little ground on Dawn.

May then said in her head "I will catch up to you! Until I have the chance to launch my counterattack, there's no way I will let you go!"

Meanwhile, Ash drove one of the PROJECT D vans bringing Ryousuke along. Ash said to Ryousuke "Do you think May is planning a counterattack after all?"

Ryousuke said "Perhaps. However, launching a counterattack will not result in victory. As for whether she will realize that…"

Dawn and May continued to race each other hard. May and Dawn both drifted at the next corner.

Dawn said in her head "DAMN IT! In this night rain and with the spray of water I'm sending up, she should be completely unable to see from that side ditch, so how can she keep up with me so precisely?! RELAX! First things first. I have to be calm here. If I lose my cool and my rhythm gets thrown off, it could be deadly! Okay, she's on my tail and I can't shake her. I need to switch strategies to one that can't lose!"

May and Dawn then drifted at the next corner that approached them.

May said to herself "This spray has reduced my visibility to almost zero. Still, it's strange, but I don't feel scared."

Meanwhile in the van, Ryousuke asked Ash "Do you remember the blind attack May used in the second race against the Toudou School?"

Ash said "Yeah. There's no way to forget something like that. Turning off the headlights and racing a mountain pass in the dark…"

Ryousuke then said "May is currently being supported by the same manner of technique and ability."

Ash said "Such as?"

Then Ryousuke said "Even when there is inadequate visual information, she can supplement it with the image that appears in her mind. When it comes to this ability, May is quite outstanding. She can instantly gauge top speed and can unerringly race road surfaces devoid of markers. This is all because of her mental image. That could be the source of what supports May's genius-like technique."

At the top, a guy named Ken talked to another guy on a radio. The other person told Ken that May's R34 was keeping up with Dawn's Eight-Six. Ken said "WHAT? The R34 is right on her?! Really?"

Zoey then asked to Ken "where are they now?"

Ken told Zoey "They're at the stretch of winding roads by the steel tower. At this rate, it's too tough to call just by the first race."

Zoey said "I can't comment until I hear what Dawn has to say. In any case, we'll have to come up with a strategy for the second race."

Ken then said "A simulation with the Eight-Six coming from behind, huh?"

Zoey said "What a drag." Then she said in her mind "I didn't think there would even be a second race, all because of the rain, eh? Dawn knows her Eight-Six pretty well. However, May knows her R34 even better and can control it like an extension of her own body! If only the course was dry. Because of the rain, May is using it to her advantage!"

Meanwhile, May continued to pressure Dawn. She was keeping the gap pretty much the same.

Dawn said to herself "I have had a bad feeling since earlier. A sensation like she's planning something is coming to me in waves. But on this narrow course and in the rain, what the hell is she thinking?! QUIT SCREWING AROUND! Don't go planning something reckless. Just stay and behave!"

May then found an opportunity to try to pass Dawn. She went to the outside to take Dawn by surprise. Dawn was shocked to see May right next to her. The two were now side-by-side. Dawn then said in her head "I TOLD YOU TO QUIT SCREWING AROUND!"

Dawn tried to block May which forced May to back off a little so she could avoid wrecking. May said to herself "Looks like countering an opponent who can corner faster than you is impossible. No. One more time. Somewhere at these consecutives corners coming up, I will try again. This next time will be my last chance. If Ryousuke says I can do it, then I can definitely do it!" May continued to race on, calculating her plan of attack.

Meanwhile, Keisuke decided to sit in his FD. Hiroshi said to Kenta "Just a little longer and they'll come by here."

Kenta said "Yes." Kenta then went on to say in his head "Even now, I can't forget the shock and impact at being passed by May in the rain at Myogi nearly a year ago. I don't know how much of an advantage having a light car is but I just can't imagine May losing in the rain!"

Meanwhile, Dawn and May continued to race down the pass. May continued to pressure Dawn. May then saw an opportunity to try to pass Dawn. Once again, May went to the outside of Dawn. Dawn got irritated by May trying to pass. She said "IDIOT! SHE'S CUTTING IN TOO CLOSE! SHE HAS DUG OUR GRAVES!"

May then passed Dawn but she panicked a bit. She said "CRAP! I'M GOING TO FALL IN!" May fell into a gutter but recovered in time to get her rear wheel out of the gutter but Dawn retook the lead because of May falling into the gutter. May then said to herself "I DID IT! I don't know how I pulled that off, but it was really lucky. However, that mistake just pulled me a little farther back. I guess a counterattack is no good. It just won't work! If that's the case however…" May then remember what Ryousuke said about the tactics of Kyle Sudou. May then said to herself "So if a counterattack is no good, then Ryousuke…"

Meanwhile in the van, Ryousuke was on the phone. He said "I see. Understood." He then said to Ash "My advice may have been difficult to understand, but the fact that May is currently able to keep pace with the Eight-Six probably means that, while not fully comprehending, she has brought the gist of it into play."

Ash said "Yes, but will she be all right?"

Ryousuke said "If she could keep up during the opening and middle sections of the race, she'll be fine. I think those were the most difficult."

Ash then said "And she springs the trap…"

Ryousuke said "Yes, at the very end. She will pull ahead at the place where the enemy's greatest weapon, being lightweight, ceases to be a weapon. That's where Kyle would take precise control."

Ash then said "That's because it's the safest, most certain way to pull ahead."

Ryousuke chuckled a bit and then said "But will the enemy simply fall for that safest, most certain way? That's the greatest problem she will face."

Meanwhile, May continued to race Dawn. The two sped by the next couple of corners. May knew time was running out and had to make a move quickly.

Dawn said to herself "SHE WILL COME! This flat straightaway just ahead is my greatest weakness. No matter what, I can't let her pass me here! Whatever tactic I have to use, I will show you I can make it to the second race!"

May said to herself "Is this the straightaway just before the goal? If I want to go, this would be my chance. But something is bothering me. If I fail twice at cornering but pull ahead right the end, can I really call that winning? Would Ryousuke praise me for something like that? I don't know but I'm out of time. I can't afford to hesitate! What do I do? Do I go or do I just do nothing let it go into the second race? What's the right answer?!"

Meanwhile Dawn wasn't sure if May would come from the left or the right. She then said to herself "Here, I can't utilize this thing's small frame anymore. Even if I run in the middle of the road, it still opens up space on the right and left. I don't really care for doing it like this, but I can't give up any road!"

May then said in her head "WHAT DO I DO? Which way of wining is the one that Ryousuke wants?"

Dawn then noticed May was trying the left so she tried to block her. Dawn then said in her head "There's no way I'm letting you in front of me! I have to save face in front of my peers, too!"

May noticed what Dawn was trying to do. She then said to herself "She will go that far, will she? If that's how she want to play it…!"

Meanwhile, Dawn and May were approaching where Drew, Kenji, and Max were watching. May turned off her headlights which shocked Drew, Kenji, and Max. Drew said in his head "May's R34 is gone!"

Meanwhile in the van, Ryousuke said to himself "If you're thinking about riding it out into the next race, that's a huge mistake, May. Don't insist of a "pretty" victory. Having such self-centered fixations will only limit oneself and being limited leads to the end of growth. If you feel resistance to pulling ahead on the straightaway, that's hubris and dependency! How one wins doesn't require style! GO FOR IT, MAY!"

Dawn noticed that May turned off her R34's headlights. She said "SHE'S GONE! The R34 is gone from my mirrors! That's impossible. IT CAN'T BE! Her headlights were right on me a second ago. I don't get it!"

May then pulled alongside Dawn turning her headlights back on which shocked Dawn. May then pushed her R34 enough to pass Dawn. Drew, Kenji, and Max decided to run off the course so they wouldn't get run over. May's pass shocked Dawn so much, she was left speechless.

At the top, Ken got off the phone and said to Zoey "Dawn got passed. The R34 won!"

Zoey said to herself "IMPOSSIBLE! She finished it in the first race?"

A few minutes after crossing the finish line, May got out of her car and went to talk with Ryousuke and the rest of PROJECT D. Ryousuke said to May "I said it from the first, did I not? A completely different mindset. The driver's job is to draw out a car's latent potential to its very limits. If one were to describe the essence of it, that's what it boils down to. Beyond racing fast, if there is one key to beating an opponent's car, it's simply to turn this sentiment into a weapon and to attack. This way of thought is what I wanted you to experience in today's race. Telling me to recall Kyle's methods meant not just his technique, but also included the meaning of this psychology. Today's race was for the most part decided until halfway point. Good work sticking close to her and not being thrown off during that section. You did well. Just relax and enjoy yourself." Then he said "The time trial has been cancelled. Pack your stuff because our work here is done."

Ash said to May "That turned out well, huh?"

May said "I… Did I just get praised?" Ash chuckled and May then said "To be honest, I only sort of accept it. Did I really do well in passing him like that? Right up till the end, I really felt lost. I thought about doing nothing and riding it out until the second race."

Ash then said "It's a good thing you didn't, May. Ryousuke would definitely have gotten really angry at you."

May said "REALLY?"

Ash said "Of course! There's no guarantee the conditions would have stayed the same for the second race. Don't forget, half the help you got was from the rain. Had the rain stopped, it would have been impossible to keep up with the Eight-Six."

May then said "Now that you mention it, Ash. I guess you have a point."

Ash then told May "If you'd been racing on your own, you'd be free to choose whichever you like, but right now you're racing as a representative of PROJECT D, so don't forget that."

Meanwhile, Zoey & Paul went up to talk with Dawn. Pau said "I can't believe it. How could you lose, especially under these conditions?! I CAN'T BELEIVE IT! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!"

Dawn said "I don't know. I don't get any of it. On the straightaway right in front of the goal, she suddenly disappeared."

Zoey said "She cleverly went into the mirrors' blind spot, eh?"

Dawn told Zoey "If that were the case, I would've noticed before she pulled alongside me. I barely had time to react before she was right beside me."

Paul then said to Dawn "Hey, get a hold of yourself. What are you on about? You're not an amateur, Dawn!"

Dawn then told Zoey & Paul "Say what you like, but if I don't get it, I don't get it! This has shocked me the most!"

Paul said "Yeah, you've got a point."

Dawn then said "You two challenged that R34 before and lost, am I wrong? Man, I've had enough of this. I've completely lost confidence in myself. It doesn't look like I will be recovering from this for a while." Dawn turned her to May and said to Paul & Zoey "There's something fundamentally different about that girl. She's such an incredible racer."

Meanwhile Ash was talking to May. He said to her "Still, that blind attack in the middle of the rain was really effective. The rain already made it hard to see, so to your opponent, I think it really felt like you'd disappeared. Ryousuke already said this, but that tactic is a powerful weapon in a fight."

May said "You may be right, Ash. But personally, I don't think I want to use it too frequently. I would enjoy it too much."

Ash said in a shocking tone "Enjoy it? You would?"

Then May said "But it would come out spontaneously. If an opponent wouldn't open up any road, I'd do it reflexively. Or if I got really angry…"

Drew, Kenji, & Max then went to see May. Drew said "AH, THERE SHE IS! HEY, MAY!"

May turned around to see Drew, Kenji, & Max. Drew said to May "Wow, you really gave me a shock earlier! Somehow, I completely lost sight of what your R34 was doing!"

Max said "You gave us a real scare, sis."

Kenji said "Sorry about that!"

Drew then said "I almost got his by the R34, too! I will forgive you this time, though."

May then said "At least I'm not causing a scene."

Then Ryousuke said "Alright everybody, we're done here. All of us are staying at a hotel 1 kilometer from here. We'll leave for Gunma tomorrow morning at noon.

May said "OKAY!" & then she said "Hey guys, I have to leave with the team to the hotel. You drive safely back to Haruna. I will see you tomorrow afternoon when we get back."

May then got in her R34 and left for the hotel. Meanwhile, Ash got into the van to get ready to leave also. Before he left, he said to Drew, Kenji, and Max "Hey guys, I'm glad you came to see May race tonight. It really means a lot when you guys come here to cheer her on. It means a lot to her."

Max said "Of course. It's almost like we're part of the PROJECT D fanclub."

Drew said "I hope we can see her race again."

Ash said "I am sure you will. You guys take care now." Ash then left with the rest of PROJECT D to the hotel they would spend the night at.


End file.
